Vampire Academy: The Vampiric Evolution
by BellaIvory
Summary: This story takes place after LS, incorporating some bloodlines features. What happens to Rose and Dimitri after 6.5 (Homecoming)? How do they adapt to life at court as a real couple? How does Lissa start her Queenly rule? How will Spirit affect the Vampriric World? There are so many obstacles to still overcome. This time Rose and Dimitri face them together. Long chapters! lemon ch5
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

I couldn't help but be in a daze while sitting on the plane. We were returning from Siberia, where we had reunited Dimitri with his family after they had thought he was dead. They were ecstatic to find him alive. Especially after being hesitant to believe the note they had received. It claimed that he had, essentially, come back from the dead. Dimitri is my very serious, warrior-god like boyfriend. It had seemed like a lifetime that I had known him, when in reality it had been closer to a year.

He had been my mentor and teacher back at St. Vladimir's Academy, where I had graduated to become a guardian. Before my graduation, he had been turned Strigoi, which is an immortal, evil undead vampire. In short, I had dropped out of school, and gone to Siberia to hunt for him to put him out of his 'misery'. In the process of hunting for him, I had run into his family, telling them the news of his 'death'. The death of his soul anyways, even though his body would run around for eternity, until I killed it. We had mourned him, and they considered me his widow, realizing our relationship without me having to tell them. They weren't blind, they saw the pain I was enduring. It was too much for just a student teacher relationship.

I had gone on to find Dimitri as a Strigoi, but had failed in killing him after a very serious attempt. But I suspect that all the time he had held me captive and kept me weak due to Strigoi bites had only made it harder for me to kill him. After that, he hunted me down in the US, and even kidnapped my best friend to lure me to my death. Dimitri and I were electrically charged around each other, we couldn't seem to stay away for long. He had believed that I must die, because I was the only one who could have killed him.

But in the end, my best friend, Lissa had saved him, using her magical power of spirit. Moroi, Vampires who were born and thus alive, had magical powers. The most common were elemental: Water, Fire, Earth and Air. A very rare gift was Spirit. Its powers are still new to the Vampiric World, and not so widely known. Dimitri was the second Strigoi on record to EVER be healed, and very few knew of the first one. As far as most knew, he WAS the first.

Therefore, it wasn't surprising that Dimitri's family couldn't believe he was alive. They had after all believed me when I had claimed he was dead. He had to confirm the facts. Yes, he had died and become Strigoi, and yes, now he was Dhampir again. Dhampirs are half vampire, half human genetically. In modern society, Vampires no longer bred with humans, but breeding with a Dhampir would always result in a Dhampir. Dhampirs aren't magical, but were basically built for combat, although we never really got sick like humans. Dhampirs were basically made to take a hit and keep on coming.

Although it took the Vampiric World by shock, my once Strigoi turned Dimitri, had been restored to his Dhampir warrior-god like state. His soul had needed further healing, but his family hadn't needed to know that. His family had been over joyed to see him, and had treated us like we were already married…. Which in reality, was what bothered me now.

There I was sitting on a plane, with my fingers intertwined with Dimitri's, while staring at the seat back right in front of me. His grandmother, Yeva, had basically foretold our wedding. But I was only eighteen! I couldn't be married yet. A month ago I had been an outlaw, accused of killing the former Queen, and now I'm supposed to be planning a wedding? Dimitri and I had never really gotten the chance to just date, which is what I wanted to do now. We always had to fight our love in the past, either because we had both planned on guarding my best friend, Lissa, which could have put her in danger; or because or relationship was risqué due to our student-teacher roles; or because he was Strigoi and wanted to turn or kill me; or because after he had turned human I had already tried to move on with a Moroi- Adrian. The point being- we had never had the time to just love one another like NORMAL people. That was, until the last month anyways. We had professed our love for one another after our continual struggle. Even after that I had to break up with Adrian, which was hard considering I was a fugitive on the run with Dimitri, and Adrian was back at the Royal Court. But I had still done it after clearing my name, getting shot and nearly dying. Who knew that breaking up with a man you still technically loved (but not in the same way I loved Dimitri) would be harder than ALMOST dying.

Even though I felt like I had known Dimitri for a lifetime, it felt like it was all moving too fast. We had ALWAYS fought our feelings. We were both perfectly prepared to deny each other our feelings while we were back at the Academy. Then as a Strigoi, he hadn't loved me, but wanted the power he thought he would possess by having me. He had fed off me over and over again, something strictly taboo in our world. Once healed, he couldn't forgive himself, so he pushed me away. I had tried to fight for our love, but he fought against me too, his guilt getting the better of him. Once I was with Adrian, and that sexual, romantic tension had come back, he fought because of honor. But I knew, just like I always knew, that I loved him unconditionally. I had tried to move on because he said his feelings had faded, and I convinced myself that they had, even though I saw evidence proving otherwise. It had led to me cheating on Adrian with Dimitri. All though it was wrong, I hadn't regretted it. Dimitri completed me in ways no other man could. We were both strong, and could depend on one another. We could fight along one another to kill Strigoi and know that we had each other's back. We could trust each other to stay safe, and we had a synchronicity that was otherworldly. He could always tell when I was lying. We could finish each other's thoughts. We could communicate volumes by just looking at each other. We knew extensively how the others mind worked. There wasn't much guess work to each other anymore, we just knew. We knew how the other moved in battle, and thus made quite a match for each other. It was hard to say if one was stronger than the other. We could feel each other across a room, feeling the other person act without even seeing it most of the time. Plus when Dimitri touched me, it was electrifying. He could wake up my entire body with a single touch, a single kiss. It hadn't been the same way with Adrian. I had loved him, yes. I had enjoyed our kisses, yes. But he didn't provoke the same burning passion in me. It had bothered me that I was his strength-

"I think this might be a record for how quiet you've been in your entire life. We should write it down somewhere." Said Dimitri, squeezing my hand. That had jolted me straight out of my daze, and my eyes bolted straight towards Dimitri's. He was smiling, and his eyes twinkled with a bit of humor.

"Well even Rose Hathaway needs time to think sometimes," I said with a touch of grumpiness to my tone. He took a minute to really survey me, realizing without another word that something had been bothering me, and of course he knew me well enough to figure out what.

"Rosa, don't feel rushed. My family didn't really mean much by it. They are progressive in the thought that if you love someone, there is no reason to wait around-"

"I'm not just trying to wait around." I said, cutting him off, agitated by the thought of it. He squeezed my hand again.

"Rosa, I wouldn't claim that you were. I know your feelings for me…unless you are making plans I am unawares of to replace me already." I looked back up at him, seeing a mischievous glint in his eyes. He was teasing me again. And…I couldn't help but smile.

"Oh yeah, I was going to choose one of the other devilishly handsome, warrior battle gods walking around that you see every day." I paused, while he mocked being shocked and hurt, very poorly I might add. "But seriously, you know I can't imagine being with anyone but you. I want only you. So it's not like I don't want to get married because I want someone else, or even fear that I might eventually want someone else… Because let's be honest, it's been only you ever since you caught Jesse and I back at the Academy. Not that I wanted him, because he was just a distraction-" I couldn't continue because his mouth was on mine in a very sweet kiss. It wasn't deep, yet it still managed to rattle my soul. There wasn't any man in the entire universe who could touch me as deeply as Dimitri could. We had been very lovey lately. There was nothing holding us back anymore. We didn't care what anyone thought any longer. We had spent too much time denying each other for reasons like that. Now, it was our time.

"We have the rest of our lives together, Rosa." He whispered after the kiss, resting his forehead on mine. If he was like me, he still had his eyes closed, savoring the kiss, and all the nerve endings it enticed. I couldn't help but smile.

"I'm just eighteen, Dimitri. I don't want to be a wife, yet. But I want to be yours. I want to live with you a playing major role in my life, publicly, I might add. No more hiding, no more secrets." We were both smiling. We hadn't the need to say more. We were intoxicated to just be in each other's presence. It was finally easy to be in love.

Once we were back on the ground, and driving to the Royal Court, I couldn't help but be more preoccupied by things closer to home. I kept having this itch to try to reach into Lissa's head. I had once been bound to her by Spirit. She had brought me back from death (technically healing me), and I had become Shadow-kissed Rosemarie Hathaway (Mazur). I had never in the past recognized my father's name, but in all actuality I hadn't known him that long either. But Lissa and I had shared a special bond. I could hear her thoughts, feelings, fears. I could jump into her head from across the country- hell across the world and experience what she was experiencing as she was experiencing it. That bond had kept us close. It meant that I could always find her. It was like my own personal gps right to the Dragomir Princess- errrr…. I mean, right to Queen Vasilisa Dragomir. Did I forget to mention that in the past month, my best friend had become Queen to the whole Vampiric world? I had known her mind better than anyone. I could read her feelings from the world over… But not anymore. When I was shot in court by Tasha Ozera, who actually killed the previous Queen, I had died, or almost died. I believed I might have actually crossed over at one time, but fought my way back. Only by living of my own accord, and not by Lissa's Spirit powers had I broke the bond. It felt like I had lost one of my crucial senses, like my sight, or hearing. It made me feel empty. It had been weird at first, but I had grown to depend on that bond. Now I actually had to ask Lissa what she was feeling, or thinking… and it is quite irksome to me. I had been able to save precious time knowing exactly what she was thinking whenever I wanted to. Now I had substantial guesswork. It was very inconvenient that our bond was broken. I was no longer shadow kissed. I could no longer take away the darkness that incurred to Lissa from using her power, Spirit. I could no longer sense Strigoi, the undead, or talk to ghosts, which had come in handy on countless occasions. Now I was an ordinary guardian, no more super powers.

Dhampirs, like Dimitri and I, were often the body guards of the Moroi. We had no magical powers, but we were stronger and stockier than the Moroi. The Vampires have special schools, like St. Vladimir's to train its students. Moroi learn to wield magic, as long as it isn't used against anyone, and Dhampirs learn physical defense and offense. Of course, that's just a very broad over stroke of what we learned at the academy.

After everything Lissa and I had been through, I was finally allowed to be her official guardian, especially after I PROVED that I was willing to give up my life for hers. Tasha Ozera had been, after all, aiming at Lissa, and I literally caught the bullet for Lissa, in my chest. After surgery and some recuperation, I had been able to attend Lissa's inaugural ceremony to become Queen, but I still had healing to do. Before Lissa had to go off to college (and I along with her), and before I had been fully healed and put on active duty again, Dimitri and I had decided to go to Siberia to visit his family. Now that we were almost back, I wondered what I had missed. I had a feeling I was going to be continually miffed about no longer having the luxury to invade Lissa's mind at my own whim. Now I would actually have to invest in a cell phone if I ever wanted to talk to her long distance.

"Damn" I murmered, after failing to get into her head again. I knew the bond was gone, I don't know why I kept trying. Dimitri was driving, like always. I had never once gotten to drive a car while this man was around. He smiled knowingly as he stared at the road.

"You'll have to get used to no longer being bonded." He said plainly. It was usual for me to try to jump into Lissa's mind during car rides.

"I hate being NORMAL." I said, in an almost whiney tone. His eyebrows rose in amusement.

"Rose Hathaway, you have never once been normal, nor will you ever be." He said in a teasing, yet mater of factly tone. I couldn't help but laugh a little. Although I was no longer shadow kissed, I still wasn't normal. How many people have died twice by the age of 18? How many found the love of their life in that time? How many had killed countless people by 18? How many had a Queen as a best friend? How many had watched their friend die? How many had been, for all intents and purposes, tortured by a Strigoi and lived to tell the tale? Okay, so technically Dimitri had been the Strigoi, and we always had special feelings for one another…. Although, while Strigoi, he could not feel love. But still, I had survived.

Our arrival back at court wasn't quite the homecoming I thought it would be. I thought my best friend would come see me or something, but she seemed busy with her queenly duties. Dimitri and I had chosen to share a room at court, essentially moving in together. After almost loosing me to a gunshot wound, Dimitri had wanted to be as close to me as he could, when he wasn't working. We had managed to make it back to our room and pack away our belongings without interruption from anyone. People knew we were returning today, and the guardian's knew we were back since they had to let us into the gates leading to the Royal Court. We decided to go to a restaurant in the Court to spend the rest of our evening. It was technically very early morning, but due to the backwards schedule of the vampires, it was evening our time. Vampires typically slept during the day and were awake at night since the sunlight was an irritation to the Moroi. The sunlight just got to them a lot easier than it did humans or dhampirs. They sunburned so much easier.

I chose to shower first, since it would take me longer to get ready. And after traveling for so long, it felt amazing to get cleaned up. While Dimitri was showering, I chose my outfit, wanting to surprise him. I applied my make up while still in my towel. I chose to be subtly sexy in my makeup, not glamming it up, but not being just simple either. I had this routine down pretty quickly, and it wasn't long before I was blow drying my hair into beautiful dark brown waves. Dimitri was out of the shower, completely dressed, and laying on the bed in his duster reading one of his cowboy western books when I chose to come back out of the bathroom after blow drying my hair. I had dressed in the bathroom once he had abandoned it. I had also applied a few spritzes of very subtle perfume that I had come to love. It accented my natural body chemistry well. I had chosen a dark red halter dress that clung to my curves. I had plans for tonight. I had every intention on spending our last night of 'vacation' wrapped up in pleasure, so I had chosen just the outfit to accomplish it. I didn't need to be falling out of my dress in order to be sexy, like so many other women. My curves spoke wonders to a man, and especially Dimitri. Everything about my outfit screamed effortless sexy. I had spent 15 minutes getting ready, max.

I grabbed my heels and leaned against the bedroom door frame as I put them on, allowing Dimitri his first look at me for the night. His eyes shifted from his book, and he visibly stopped breathing. I couldn't help but grin as I saw the look in his eyes. He no longer wanted to go out and eat. He wanted me. I was thrilled to elicit this response from him. He slowly put his book down on his night stand.

"Maybe we should stay in." He murmured, looking me up and down, committing me to memory all over again. I shook my head grabbing my purse and making my way towards the door, not even responding to him verbally. He could stay if he wanted, but Rose Hathaway always needed food.

It took him seconds to be by my side. I had chosen to leave a message with the person at the desk down in the lobby of my building, in case Lissa came looking for us. The restaurant we chose wasn't too far. It was nice and even had a bar. It didn't take us too long to get there, even though I knew Dimitri was looking at me from the corner of his eye the entire time. Being around each other was electric, even without touching. Our attraction for each other had become palpable, now that we didn't have to hide it anymore. Plus, it's not like we were on duty. We could spend this time focusing on each other.

We chose to sit in a decently secluded spot in the restaurant. Dimitri was rather anti-social, and neither of us was really up for socializing with anyone else besides each other, unless Lissa had come by of course. We had ordered food, and flirted back and forth, recalling fun times we had just had in Siberia. Knowing I would be on duty in the next couple of days, I knew I wanted to have fun tonight. The Royal Court was one of the most secure places in the world, both with Magical wards and guardians to protect those within. We had decided it was reasonably safe enough to let our guards down for one night, although we knew our instincts would kick in during times of emergency. And god, I hoped I didn't have to fight in this dress.

After dinner and desert, since I loved my sugary delights, we ordered and downed several drinks. At that point, I decided to go get drinks, leaving Dimitri at the table, when I returned from the bathroom. He had requested a drink, but I had something else in mind for him, and I knew not ordering by our server would be the only way to pull my tiny prank off. After visiting the ladies room, I sauntered up to the bar. I immediately caught the male bartender's attention. It was a gift of mine, especially in this dress.

"I would like a White Russian and Tequila Sunrise, both of them straight up and extra strong." I said flashing my bright whites. I was already a little buzzed, halfway enjoying not having to pay attention to everything around me. So that's why I was so easily caught off guard. Suddenly a hand caught my wrist, surprising me. With all the people around, I hadn't noticed someone move in closer to me.

"Well well, if it isn't the cheating little Dhampir," said Adrian, swaying a little as he spoke. "What need do you have to get drunk? From as far as I can see, you have everything you want including your once Strigoi lover, your best friend as Queen, and the assignment you so desired. You've even been flaunting your 'true love' over there in the corner of the restaurant. Not like the rest of us want to see your behavior." He spat, his eyes flicking to Dimitri, who hadn't spotted us. My blood boiled inside me at the way he was speaking to me, and the way he spoke of Dimitri. He continued before I could but in, " I hear you just got back from your honeymoon from Russia. Who did you con into paying for your trip this time? Please tell me they actually got sex from you, unlike me. I was blind enough to let you use me until you no longer needed my money, magic or companionship. Once your teacher came back into your life, you turned back into that obsessed schoolgirl over him, leaving heartbreak in your wake." Part of me was shocked. Our breakup hadn't been easy, and we hadn't seen each other since that night. But I hadn't been expecting this.

"How dare you speak to me that way. I gave you a chance. If you have any grievances against me, why don't you come talk to me about it in a less public setting." I said, yanking my wrist out of his grip more fiercely than needed, but it drove home my point. The hostility was becoming palpable, although I was trying to control myself. Dimitri still picked up the 'scent' of it in the air though, his demeanor immediately changing. My glare never left Adrian.

"You're drunk again, aren't you?" I uttered, surveying him a little more closely. He flicked his wrist in a casual way.

"So what if I am?" He replied, as if he had this conversation all the time. "Our contract is broken, you have no control anymore in how much I indulge in my vices." I was disgusted. This was not the Adrian I had been attracted to, but at this point in time he was holding a grudge against me. "Nor do you get to choose how I spend my money. I no longer have you conning my money out of my grasp. Now I can shower these little ladies in it." He said, mentioning a few women that I hadn't seen until now. There were three Dhampir women scantily dressed, all with dark hair like mine. As far as I was concerned, they were replacements for me. I got a slight feeling of satisfaction, noting that I was prettier than all three. One of them clung onto Adrian, trying to pull him closer. It was like she was scared that I might try to steal her fun from the night. I was not impressed at all.

"Adrian, I don't want your money. If that was all I had wanted from you, I wouldn't have dated you AFTER you funded my first trip to Russia." Dimitri had reached my side when I said that, placing a hand on my hip. I could sense the emotion it sparked from him, but I couldn't respond to that yet. "And I don't want to control you. It's your life. Do with it what you will. I honestly hadn't expected you to complete that 'contract' as you call it. I just wanted to see how important I was to you. But regardless, that is a moot point. Like you noted earlier, we aren't together. I don't need you attempting to slut shame me, when you have three poor Rose Hathaway look-a-likes clinging to your side. Go sink your fangs into them-" I started saying before Dimitri grabbed me by the arm and started calmly pulling me away. I pulled back, grabbing our drinks that were now done and throwing some cash onto the bar. "Keep the change." I muttered, fuming at Adrian's drunk outburst. I could see the crowd now that we had attracted. People were murmuring to themselves about the things he had accused of me. Not that they were the worst rumors that had ever gone around about me.

"Little Cheating Dhampir," he said boisterously, obviously not minding the attention. "This is not the end of our discussion." He noted, still swaying a little. I was fuming, but I knew punching Adrian in this moment wouldn't actually help anything…. Well besides sate my fury. I had let Dimitri grab me by the elbow and escort me back to our seats, far away from Adrian. Adrian's eyes followed us, I could feel them. Everyone else in the bar had started sneaking glances our way, obviously talking about the confrontation. I pushed Dimitri's drink into his hands, barely noticing what I was doing. I had already forgotten about the joke I was going to pull on him. He looked me over, with a knowing glance. It was obvious he would have to defuse the bomb before he got any real cooperation. I had already started chugging my drink. Damn I was happy that I had ordered it extra strong. It had just now occurred to me that the bartender hadn't carded me, but it was Dimitri who had broken me out of that train of thought.

"What is this?" He asked, lifting up his drink, attempting not to smile. "This is not what I had asked for." A sly smile couldn't help but break from my lips. It was completely clashing with the churning rage inside of me, but the need to explain my joke won over- for now.

"It's a White Russian, Comrade." I said, flashing a brilliant smile. I was obviously playing at his 'home country'. "It might not be motor fuel they passed as alcohol in your country, but I thought you might still like it." I teased. He lifted an eye brow.

"Are you referring to Russian Vodka, Rose?"

"I thought you would get the reference without me having to explain it to you." I said, momentarily sticking out my tongue. I was waiting for it, and I knew the moment was coming that he would ask me about what happened. He started sipping his drink, not looking at me. Then he started stirring his drink with a straw, choosing to look down at it as he spoke, instead of at me.

"Is what he said true?" He asked. We hadn't exactly talked a lot about Adrian's and my relationship. We had both understood, without words that Adrian had only come to be my boyfriend because Dimitri had been turned Strigoi.

"What do you mean?" I replied defensively. Dimitri was still looking down, pausing to collect his thoughts before continuing.

"Did you really take money from him?" He finally said. I blanched, and immediately lashed out.

"What, so you also think I just used him?" I said, attempting not to yell. This was adding to the fury I had already felt inside of me from Adrian's conversation. His eyes flickered to mine.

"That's not what I said, Rosa." He said, keeping a soft tone, obviously attempting to keep me calm. I realized there was no accusation in his voice, but that didn't necessarily unknot the fury in my gut. But I knew I had to explain.

"That next afternoon… in the caves at St. Vladimir's…" I started, realizing it was a lot harder to say than to think. My eyes shifted down to my hands as I continued. It was easier to look at them, while I was fidgeting with my nails than to look at him. "They wouldn't let me go, but they looked for you. I waited for your body to come back on a stretcher with the others… Except your stretcher came back empty. They said you were no longer there. So either you were alive, and the Strigoi had captured you to feed on you, or… they had turned you. I rushed outside the wards and immediately summoned Mason. He was able to confirm my deepest fears." I paused, having a hard time continuing. It was taking a lot of courage to tell this story, for it was a very dark period in my life. Dimitri wasn't moving, he was merely studying my face as I continued to talk. It didn't feel like he was even breathing. "He confirmed that you were now one of the undead. Something broke in me in that very instant. The man I loved was gone. The man I had just given my virginity to, was gone forever… Or at least walking the earth as an evil killing machine." I managed to break a smile at that thought. "Well, you have always been a killing machine, but it just changed who you were killing…. The innocent. I knew I had to fulfill the promise I had made that day in the mall. I knew my Dimitri, didn't want to be Strigoi. I knew I had to kill you. That mission burned inside of me. I couldn't stand the thought of waiting until the end of school. You were out there at that very moment, and you needed me to put you to rest. But I had no means to chase you to Russia, which was the direction Mason had pointed me to. So I did the only thing I could… I asked Adrian to fund my trip. I felt too guilty asking Lissa, since I was abandoning her. I knew Adrian liked me, and he hoped it would help me get past you. I had promised to give him a chance when I returned... He moved money into an account for me." I paused again, knowing he already knew a lot of what happened in Russia. I took a deep breath. "When I returned, I did give him a chance, and he promised to cut down on his vices. I grew to love him, but we never had the same chemistry-" my eyes flicked up to meet Dimitri's, "that you and I had. Adrian was comfortable." My face hardened by my next thoughts, and I tried to keep my voice from rising as my fury started to return. "But did I date him just because I wanted his money? No. If he hadn't have pursued me so hard, I probably wouldn't have dated him. It's not like I sought him out and flung myself upon him because he had MONEY." I finished. Dimitri sat silent for a little while longer, taking in my story.

"Adrian is going to hurt for a while, Rose. It looks like he loved you stronger than you loved him. That happens in life sometimes. Unfortunately for him, I'm alive again, and there's this…" He paused, searching for the right word. "Connection between us that neither of us can ignore." He reached across the table and took my hand at this. "But while Adrian is healing, you might have to endure, and understand more outbursts like this. Remember how you fought for me? You had many outbursts until you resigned to our fate, and then I had to basically steal you back." His eyes were sad at this last part. I knew he was ashamed he had basically stolen another man's woman. But in all honesty, I was always Dimitri's. Even when I was trying to fool myself otherwise. Our chemistry was always that strong. Our eyes met. I knew he wasn't mad from learning Adrian's role in my Russian trip, and maybe it explained to him more of what happened.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to like these… outbursts from Adrian." I muttered, refusing not to get the last word on the subject. There I was, stubborn Rose Hathaway. I glanced back over at the bar and saw all three Dhampir women all over Adrian. I scrunched my nose at the sight. When I looked back over, I saw Dimitri looking me up and down again, seemingly studying my every curve. I could see the hunger in his eyes. He had waited all through dinner, with the thing he wanted most dangling itself right in front of him the entire time. Now that we were officially together, and it was legal for him to love me, he didn't hide his emotions as much.

"Maybe we should go back to our room." He murmured. The way his eyes caressed my body distracted me from the outburst that had happened earlier. Just the way he looked at me, made my body tingle, and he wasn't even close to touching me yet. Unable to respond verbally, I just nodded my head, very thankful to be leaving. He signaled for the waitress, and we paid our bill.

It seems so cliché, but on our way back to our room, we held hands. It seemed nice to just feel his touch while we were so relaxed. We would never do this if we had been on our guard. I couldn't help but smile. This is the affect Dimitri had on me. I was glad to just be around him. Once we reached our building, I checked with the front desk to make sure no one had tried to get ahold of us. Lissa had left a note. It was short and sweet, reminiscent of my mother's notes while I was back at St. Vladimir's. Maybe Lissa was taking lessons from her.

 _Catch up tomorrow morning._

 _~Lissa_

I smiled and shook my head. By morning, she actually meant evening, since the vampiric schedule was flipped around. Now it was early morning, I would say 5 or so in the morning. But this was our evening/night. We slept during the day. But Dimitri and I still had enough time to 'go to church' so to say, and 'worship' each other, before we had to get some sleep for the next day. When we reached the elevator, Dimitri grabbed me, and gently pushed me up against the wall. I could have easily countered this action, but I let him. I didn't mind him putting me where he wanted me to be. He slid his hands around my waist, making it easy for him to smoothly multitask and push the elevator up button at the same time. He leaned down and kissed me eagerly, pushing me into the wall while we waited for the elevator. As far as I was concerned, the elevator could have taken until Christmas to arrive. Unfortunately, it arrived in what felt like seconds. We scooted into the empty elevator in a flawless movement seemingly created by one unit. Being around Dimitri was like a dance, in a battle, and everyday life. It's like we already knew the steps, and could flawlessly move together as if we had practiced it 100 times before. This was part of our chemistry, our connection to each other, our awareness of each other. He continued to kiss me the entire time in the elevator, breaking only once we reached our floor.

Reaching our room, I turned my back to him to unlock the door. The second the door was ajar however; he reached underneath me, picking me up bridal style and tossing me down on the bed. I knew I would have to comment about the bridal style treatment later, but now wasn't the time. I wasn't a bride…. yet. But right now, my body burned for him, and it was all I could focus on. It was almost like Christian had engulfed me in flames. Looking in Dimitri's eyes, I knew he felt the same way. He barely made sure the door was shut before jumping onto the bed with me. His lips were on my neck, and he was already tugging at my dress. It was in this moment that my thoughts echoed themselves to past thoughts I had- I was very glad that Dimitri was the only man I had ever truly been with. I couldn't wait to give myself to him over and over. The fire within me began to blaze even brighter, as if the fire I felt earlier was only a coal simmering. I knew before the night ended, we would both feel like blazing forest fires. Yes, we were in OUR 'church', our bed, and it was time to worship one another. I knew it was going to be a long night.


	2. Chapter 2

Author Notes:

I definitely do not claim any of the original characters, although I have yet to really make up my own and put names to them. The Vampire Academy characters rightfully belong to Richelle Mead. But we knew that already, right? After all, this is a fan fiction ;)

I know that last chapter had a lot of background from the book, so forgive me if you didn't appreciate it. Let's see how this next chapter folds out.

I do apologize for how long it takes me to write a chapter, but at least my chapters aren't short. I try to take the time and do them right, try being the key word there.

I'm sorry for skimping on the detail when it comes to the tarot cards. It is a big enough deal to put the subject in there, but not big enough for me to spend several hours researching the intricacies of the tarot cards. If I had actually been writing my own book, I probably would have done the research.

Don't be afraid to review or send me a message ^.^

So it's taking me around 3-4 days to really write a chapter, but at least this chapter is 15 pages long!

 **Chapter Two**

I faintly registered a very annoying sound, although I was still too groggy yet to place it. I had been asleep, in a very very deep sleep. And let me tell you, it was wonderful. The sound was still piercing on, to my discomfort. But it was being effectual. I supposed this was the alarm telling me to get up for the day. I remembered now what happened last night. Dimitri and I had spent several hours worshiping each other's bodies. Although my eyes were still closed, I couldn't help but smile at the thought. Every time we had finished and felt nearly exhausted, a well-placed touch on my thigh or lower back, or even a kiss on my neck or collar bone would shoot electricity through my body. This electricity reanimated, and recharged our depleted energy sources. One could say we were the energizer bunnies last night, although I certainly didn't feel like it now. I didn't want to move and fully awake from my slumber. I felt the warrior battle god of a Dhampir that I had worshiped last night stir beside me. Even in his sleepy state, he still moved gracefully as he pushed the snooze button. I had been curled up beside him, facing him in our bed. I slowly peered through one eye at the man beside me, partially wanting to remain stubborn in waking from my groggy state but also wanting to see him. It still amazed me how I was blessed to wake up next to him every morning. I hadn't gotten used to it yet. How did I get so lucky?

Literally, let's think about it. First, our love was forbidden. Secondly, Dimitri had become undead. Thirdly, after being healed, he had felt too ashamed to love me. Fourthly, I had been claimed by another man… And then to top it all off, I had died. It's like the odds were stacked in opposition of us. If we were such star-crossed lovers, how had we made it here today? Maybe there was a god after all. I had battled with my belief in him off and on over the years. My mother, was an atheist, so maybe I had acquired my skepticism from her. But if this, and everything I had survived in my entire life was some sort of proof, maybe there was someone looking out for me. Maybe I had a kick ass guardian angel. Maybe there was a twin of Dimitri who was my guardian angel. My mind shifted back to the present as the man who had brought me to innumerable orgasms last night, rose from the bed. He glided over to the bathroom. I heard the toilet seat rise, and soon after I heard Dimitri relieving himself. It was only human nature, right?

I finally decided to stretch and fully accept waking up for the day. Stretching felt absolutely amazing, so I flopped around on the bed, doing all sorts of stretching in my attempt to wake up. Why couldn't I shake this grogginess? I was in my own little world until I heard that Russian accented chuckle that I so adored. I snapped to attention to find Dimitri leaning against the bathroom door frame, looking down on me in affection. He was always looking down on me, since he was a giant. And I'm pretty sure that 6'7" put him into giant classification, at least in my book. He was a WHOLE foot taller than me, and I wasn't exactly short for a Dhampir. Compared to Moroi, yeah I was short, but as far as Dhampir and humans went, I was pretty normal-ish size.

"How does someone so small manage to take up an entire bed?" He teased, letting that accent he knew drove me crazy hang thick in the air.

"I'm not that small." I quipped back, not moving from what I had found out was an utterly comfortable position.

"You are small in comparison to me." He said, still smiling. "Small, but deadly." I couldn't help but grin at that last part. I was still tired, but I knew our day had to begin. I had Lissa's note to think about. She wanted to see me today, and I was her guardian after all. I jumped up from the bed, portraying more energy than I actually felt. I needed some coffee or something. And some food. Sugar to be more exact. Yes, then I would feel more awake. I made my way into the bathroom, so I could prepare myself for my day. Dimitri smacked my ass as I passed him. I couldn't help but shoot him a look while grinning like a Cheshire cat.

I had decided to eat on the go. I had grabbed four donuts, a full strength coffee and a coke. The bottled coke was currently hanging out awkwardly in my leather jacket's pocket as I sipped on my extremely hot coffee and devoured my first donut. We had decided to check in with Hans, making sure he had no other plans for us before we checked in with our charges. I was Lissa's guardian, and Dimitri's was Christian's. Christian Ozera was Lissa's boyfriend. Now that he was shacking up regularly with the Queen of the vampiric world, he probably did need a guardian. And to be honest, it was hard to get a better guardian that Dimitri. This also meant that we could be spending a lot of time together. Sure, it wouldn't be us hanging out, but at least we could see one another, be around each other.

By the time we reached Lissa's Queenly suite, I had already demolished all of my donuts, and finished off my coffee. By the look Dimitri was giving me, I think he was still surprised after all this time how easily I could polish off some food. I was able to throw away the paper plate and Styrofoam cup before Lissa actually saw us. Now I only had to coke in my pocket for emergency situations if I couldn't keep alert. Walking up to the suite, it felt weird not to be able to reach out to Lissa's mind. I couldn't check her feelings before I got there. I was disheartened, but at least she would be able to tell me first hand. Dimitri knocked on the door, and a couple of guardians opened them for us, allowing us entry. Being at Court, Lissa had a whole drove of guardians whose job was solely to keep her safe, and her company. As her friend, I typically played a 'near' guard, as Dimitri did with Christian. As soon as I walked further into Lissa's chambers, she ran up and hugged me. I hugged her back tightly. She was my best friend, and the closest I had to a sister. She was family in my opinion. Someone I would die for. She acknowledged Dimitri before grabbing my hand and pulling me to a couch. This was a formal reception area in her suite. She also had a personal living room, personal bathroom, one bedroom, guest bathroom, and a foyer. Dimitri went to stand near Christian, who stayed in Lissa's suite nearly every night, while Lissa started in on me.

"Oh Rose! I'm so glad you have returned. I'm sorry I couldn't see you last night. I had a lot of things to wrap up and take care of so we could have some time to ourselves today!" She beamed, seeming so excited. I raised an eyebrow. Time to ourselves? She obviously noted my skeptical features.

"I want to hear all about how things went in Siberia, and how things are going in general." She said, eyeing Dimitri. Things had been pretty hectic ever since she had been crowned queen. We hadn't exactly had the time to catch up, although she had frequently checked in on me after my escape from death a second time. "So I booked us a spa day for girls' time. We are going to end the day by having dinner with our close friends tonight. I spent all day yesterday getting everything in order so that we could have the entire day to ourselves. Invitations for the dinner have already been sent out, and as my guardian, you are not entitled to miss it." She said eyeing me with a matter of factly tone in her voice at the end. She knew that I didn't exactly want to have dinner in a formal setting with our 'friends'. It was assumed that Adrian Ivashkov, would be one of those invited to dinner. He was one of the few known spirit users in the world, and he had been practicing his powers with Lissa to see what they could accomplish. They had grown to be good friends. All would be well if I hadn't dated him, and then shattered his heart. I guess I would have to fill Lissa in on what had happened last night.

"We are having a girl's day? Don't you have more queenly duties to take care of?" I asked, not expecting to have this on my agenda today.

"I've been working hard, Rose. I deserve some time off, and I planned it for right after you returned. So that's final." She said, with that royal air of hers. I looked over at Christian, who had been amazingly quiet this entire time.

"And what, Mr. Devoted over here isn't going to miss spending the day with his precious Lissa?" I asked, obviously towards Christian. I couldn't help but tease him, being we were both smart asses. He shrugged off my comments.

"I'll get to see her tonight, plus I am my own man, and I do have other things that I must attend to." He said lazily.

"Oh, I'm sorry Lord Ozera, please return to your vast estate and business to run." I said mockingly. He scoffed.

"You know Rose, I could get used to you calling me Lord." He said with a suggestive smirk on his face. I rolled my eyes, smiling. Dimitri just sat and observed our playful banter. Christian walked over to Lissa and kissed her in what looked like a sweet way. Now that we weren't teasing each other, I could tell he had a sad look in his eye, and I knew it had nothing to do with leaving Lissa for a couple hours.

Tasha Ozera was his aunt, and had practically raised him after his parents had CHOSEN to turn themselves Strigoi. As one can imagine- that was a big deal. Being turned against your will was one thing…. But to kill another by drinking too much blood, purposefully, and choosing an eternity of evil was completely different. Tasha had protected him, and been his family. It couldn't be easy now that Tasha was behind bars for killing the former Queen, which she had framed me for. Plus, Tasha was the one who fired the gun at Lissa, and I had taken that bullet for her. Tasha had committed treason, but she was still Christian's aunt. He must be dealing with this emotional trauma on some level. Lissa bade Christian good bye, and both Lissa and I watched as our men walked out of the room together. Lissa turned to me excitedly.

"Let's go, our appointment is soon!" She giggled as she took my hand, and led me out of the room, after both the boys had a head start on us.

"You booked appointments? What if I couldn't have come today?" I asked skeptically, but I was actually glad. It was going to be fun to spend some alone time with Lissa.

"I knew you were coming in last night, and I had already talked to Hans. I'm Queen, I can pull some strings and get you where I want you to be. People seem to listen when the Queen speaks." She commented. We teased back and forth, and arrived at the spa, giggling like two teenagers. Well… I guess we were both still technically teenagers. She was a teen Queen so to speak. Both of us were 18, straight out of the Academy. The wait staff at the spa, located conveniently here at court, immediately admitted us, and the two other guardians charged with following us down to the spa. They were both men, but they would wait outside the door to our room, making sure we were safe. With the change of the new queen, and the controversy around how young Lissa was as our new queen, three guardians was the ABSOLUTE minimum that Hans would let around her at all times of the day. Hans was in charge of the guardians here at court. He didn't personally guard the Queen, but he ran the entire guardian operation. If I were to guess, that wasn't easy. Lissa and I were scheduled for hour long massages. Full body massages at that. We laid down on our massage beds, with towels over our bodies and immediately began chatting away.

"You HAVE to tell me about Russia!" She exclaimed. She had been so excited that Dimitri and I were getting a 'vacation' alone together. I told her all about Dimitri's family, and hunting down the Strigoi that had killed many humans close to his home town of Baia. I told her about how easily his family had accepted me all over again, even Viktoria, who I had left on bad terms with. I talked about how they had given us our own room to share. They had basically treated me like his widow when we had a memorial service for him when I had first met them, and now they basically treated me like his wife. I told her how amazing it was to see him in his home habitat, to where last time it was painful to look around and imagine him everywhere. My last trip to Siberia had been a trip of pain. This time I was a trip full of smiles. I had even hinted that I had convinced Dimitri to help me join the mile high club.

"Rose! You are so bad!" She said, giggling. "I was the first one to have sex, and yet here you are, doing things I wouldn't have even thought about!" She faked chastising me.

"Well, with Dimitri being a giant, there wasn't a lot of room left in those tiny plane cubicles. It would be a lot easier with you and Christian." I muttered.

"Rose!" I swear, if I could have seen her face right then, it would be cherry red from blushing. She continued, almost shyly at the topic. "So… it's going well in that area then?" She hinted at her meaning.

"Sex?" I said bluntly. "Oh yeah. After watching me die, he couldn't hold himself back anymore. He had almost lost me. We don't want to regret not living our lives if something were to happen to us in our line of duty." I said easily, but then continued on more hesitantly. "But we had reunited before we ever came back to court and ousted Tasha for the traitor she is. Dimitri opened back up, and the magnetism was impossible to ignore. Sonya Carp could read me like a book, no matter how hard I tried to deny it, or move on. Even when we tried to ignore our feelings for one another, everyone around us assumed we were an item. Towards the end of that…. trip, we couldn't ignore the forces of the universe that were pulling us together." I finished, wanting Lissa to understand how there couldn't have possibly been any other outcome. Dimitri was my one. I knew that so easily. I could feel her uncomfortableness about the topic as we were both getting massaged separately.

"Adrian and I have talked some…. He told me you cheated on him." She said sadly, and very softly. She was definitely not being accusatory. This was Liss, just getting a topic in the open.

"What did he want me to do? Break up with him in a dream? I felt like that was as bad as breaking up in a text message. I wanted to do it in person. I wanted to do it after I cleared my name. I hadn't expected him to come with Mikhail that day. I hadn't expected him to see Dimitri kiss my forehead as he worried about my fate at court. I know I messed up by sleeping with Dimitri while we were gone, but it literally happened right before we went back to court. And you weren't there, you didn't feel all the sexual tension in the air. You couldn't have cut it with a knife, Liss, it was too thick. You would have needed a jackhammer for that. But…. I didn't mean to hurt Adrian like that, I really didn't. But in the end, I had to be with who I felt like I am MEANT to be with Liss." I wanted her to understand so badly. I didn't want her to think poorly of me. I didn't know what she thought, but I heard her laugh a little at the jackhammer comment.

"Rose, I hadn't thought you intentionally meant to hurt Adrian. I guess I can understand how you would want to break it off in person… And I can understand that if you were going to be executed for a crime you didn't commit, how you could want to reconnect with the one person who meant the most to you. But it's still not going to be easy around Adrian for quite a while." She finished.

"Oh I know. You didn't see what happened last night." I sighed. She almost jumped off of her massage table.

"WHAT?!" She knew she was missing something. So I filled her in on the scene we had created last night in the restaurant. She listened intently. "Rose, this may be hard for you, but I need you to take it easy on Adrian. He might need to yell at you, but try not to start anything with him. Be the bigger person." She stated. Under my breath I said something along the lines of, why did everyone think I was so small today, but she didn't hear me.

"I told him before I left for Siberia, that I hoped we could actually be friends. I didn't mean it as some cheesy break up line. So… I'll try Liss." I paused before continuing, "He's going to be there tonight huh?"

"Yeah." She said softly. "But I have you sitting near your parents, not him. He is going to sit near Christian and Jill."

"You realize with Dimitri and I coming, this table is going to need assigned seating since the situation is so volatile." I had said with audible hesitation.

"Oh I already have that covered." She started. She was the 'man' with the plan so to speak. "On everyone's plate is a card with their name on it, kind of like at a wedding." I almost jolted up by the mention of 'wedding'.

"Lissa! I didn't tell you that did I?" I started. "While I was in Baia with Dimitri's family, his grandmother, who fancies herself a seer, basically predicted our wedding!" She looked up at me, regardless that our faces were suppose to be down into the face rest on the massage table. Our eyes connected.

"You look like you aren't entirely happy with that prediction. The way you talk about him, it's like he is the one though Rose." She hesitated. "Do you think you don't want to marry him? Are you afraid your relationship isn't that strong?" She asked, trying to figure me out. I sighed.

"It's not that. Dimitri is the best thing that ever happened to me. But I can imagine it's the same reason you aren't jumping into marrying Christian. We have known them close to a year now, why rush into it? Plus we are both only eighteen… What if I don't want to get married before I am twenty?" I asked. We continued to look at each other while our massages continued. She looked deep in thought.

"When I think about you and Dimitri, it just feels… ever lasting… like it is the most certain thing in the world. I see what your aura looks like when you're around him, and Rose, it's nearly blinding. When you two are together and I look at your auras, it's kind of like staring into the sun, or watching some sort of nuclear reaction. I guess that all over rode the short time you've actually known him, or how young we are… Those thoughts just never crossed my mind when it came to you two. Now, Christian and I are a different story. I can't imagine getting married yet. I haven't even settled into my role as Queen!" She had almost looked awed when talking about Dimitri's and my auras. I couldn't help but smile.

"So you understand why the marriage thing irks me." I said, pausing before switching topics, "I look like a sun? Wasn't it too long ago that I was dark, and rimmed in shadows? Now I'm blinding?" She couldn't help but giggle. I paused for a moment. "Speaking of Christian, how is he taking it all?" I asked, a little worried about my pyromaniac friend. She faltered a little, looking down and seemingly collecting her thoughts.

"He is having a hard time, but it has been quite an adjustment. Tasha was his closest family, you know. He can't believe she framed you, or tried to shoot me. Plus, with my new title, it takes a lot of time away from us. We used to be able to spend a lot of time together, and now I have a lot of politics to work on, but that's why he spends a lot of time in my room. Late at night and during the night is sometimes all the time I have. I've been hoping that things will get better as we get used to my role as Queen." She stopped, regrouped and continued, "But College is starting soon, and you know he wont go. So I am pretty worried, Rose. But, if it is meant to be, it will…. Right?" She finished by looking back up at me, hoping I could rebuild her confidence. I felt almost at a loss, so I said the only thing I could.

"Christian is crazy about you Liss. I think he will make the most of what he has, even if it means he has to help you complete your homework to get to spend time with you." I said, managing a smile. After Christian had helped me research spirit, to ultimately help Lissa, I could totally see him helping her with her homework. We continued to talk about College. Lissa and I were set to attend Lehigh University, which was around an hour away from court. It was apparent that we would be shuffling a lot back and forth in order to do both College, and complete her queenly duties. Lissa had already appointed Ariana Szelsky, as a sort of temporary Regent. Ariana didn't have full powers, but could preside over court in place for Lissa, and handle emergency situations. Lissa had originally wanted Ariana to be Queen before it became clear that Lissa would be eligible. Unfortunately, Ariana didn't pass the last monarch test. Upon spending more time together, it became apparent that Ariana was very understanding of how Lissa wanted to rule, and they worked well together. Ariana had voted for Lissa, especially since the other remaining choices were nearly appalling. Ariana recognizes the potential Lissa harbors, and agrees with the future Lissa has hopes in achieving.

The plan, as far as college went, was to attend school during the bright of the day, meaning only late morning, into early afternoon classes. It made it a little bit more secure. I would be auditing the classes with her, along with a few other guardians. She had chosen a political science degree, since it had the greatest promises in helping her run the vampiric world. Great. That would mean I would have to sit through and listen to all those boooooring classes. It's not like I could take different classes. My goal was to guard Lissa. That's it. We had originally debated that should actually enroll with her, but after consideration I realized that I didn't want a degree in political science. I didn't want to do the homework, and take the tests. It was bad enough I would have to listen to the classes, but I would do anything for Liss. No, as far as I was concerned, my education days were over. I was personally just glad that auditing the classes was an option. It didn't take long for our massages to be over, and it was time for the next treat that Lissa had in store for us.

Lissa seemed very excited as she led my down a hallway that became increasingly familiar. Before long, although I didn't have to have the ability to reach into Lissa's head to know where we were going, I had figured it out on my own. The first time we had visited this spa, we had met an incredibly sexy Dhampir by the name of Ambrose. It turned out that he had been a lover of the former Queen, but that's not the part that had spurred my memory. The first time we were here, Ambrose had taken us to go see his aunt. She was a seer of sorts herself. Her name was Rhonda. To me, she was the gypsy lady. She had foretold our fortunes, including one where she basically forebode Dimitri turning into a Strigoi. Half of the time I felt like she was a fake though, and in the mood I was currently in, I didn't think she had a lot of credibility.

Lissa knocked on her door, and we heard Rhonda welcome us inside. She was a Moroi in her forties, with black hair and dark eyes. She had been anticipating our arrival. She already had her cards out and was carefully shuffling them.

"Ah, Queen Vasilisa, Guardian Hathaway, how very nice to see both of you again." She said, gesturing us to sit at the seats in front of her. Lissa murmured a greeting, but of course, I couldn't be so cordial.

"Hello Gypsy lady." I smiled. She stopped shuffling and looked at me.

"It's Romanian." She said. "But you already knew that." She went back to shuffling. Actually, I had forgotten. Gypsy is what had literally stuck in my head, no matter how many times she corrected me. "Let us see how we are doing, shall we?" She asked, but didn't wait for a response. She put the cards in front of Lissa, and Lissa knew it was a cue for her to cut the deck. She split it in half and then stacked them back into a single story again. Rhonda drew the cards back into her hand and started placing them down on the table. I watched Lissa. She basically held her breath as the cards revealed themselves on the table top. Rhonda seemingly studied them in depth, making curious noises every time her eyes jumped to a new card. The cards didn't look threatening, but Lissa was staring at them as if they could injure her. Finally, Rhonda's eyes flicked back up to Lissa.

"My dear, I assume you already realize just how fragile your rule as Queen is, at the moment." She said, only allowing Lissa to nod before continuing on. "These cards suggest an increasingly volatile situation. I see death in the future, although it is not necessarily your own. I also see carefully laid out plans that will have gone to waste. A major event is on the horizon that will change those plans. I see danger and despair in your future, yes… that is for certain. It will take you a while to quiet your kingdom. But here, look at this card, this one suggests that you will also have a strong, memorable rule. I see much potential here, you have the ability to do so much, as long as you can carefully maneuver the danger. But in my opinion, the best card is this one- it suggests that you have a close connection with the right group of people. These people will back you up, support you, and protect you as long as you remain on top of the situation. They are a group of friends, confidants, even people you work with well. Having a support group is a very valuable thing, Queen Dragomir." Said the gypsy, pointing to a new card with almost every new statement. At first Lissa had been paler than normal, but as the reading went on, she seemed to gain better news.

"Well, we already knew being Queen wasn't going to be easy. I guess I will have to learn to roll with the punches, and who I can trust." Rhonda nodded with this assessment, agreeing with Lissa.

"Just keep your eyes open, Your Majesty. Settle your rule on the throne before it gets thrown into possible chaos, and then you should be golden. It won't be easy though, or safe." Rhonda concluded. Lissa nodded, her head obviously reeling from all this new information. Rhonda gathered up the cards again, shuffling them in silence. She knew Lissa needed to think over her 'fortune'. Rhonda almost seemed to blank out, as if she were going over the reading in her mind as well, making sure she had made the right connections, told the right fortune. Maybe it was a gypsy superpower, but she never stopped shuffling in the meantime. Finally, she snapped out of it, and placed the cards in front of me. I cut the deck, just like Lissa had, and then made a new pile with them. She gathered the cards into her hands and then started laying them out on the table again. I couldn't help myself from making a retort.

"Please tell me it doesn't say 'you are the killer of the undead' again." I teased. This got a smile from Rhonda, but she kept studying the cards. She actually asked me questions, unlike Lissa.

"Is there a Moroi man in your life that you're intimate with, or want to be intimate with?" She asked. I frowned, and my eyebrows knit together. No, absolutely not. What type of question was that?

"No. I am in a very serious relationship with a Dhampir, and have ever truly been intimate with him." I commented, not seeing how my intimate relationships factored into things. She also frowned and made a 'hmmmm' noise.

"You're one of the Royal Guard, correct? One of Vasilisa's guards." She asked. I nodded. It was her turn for her brow to furrow in confusion. "Your path is very unclear this time." She mentioned, and I groaned. Not again. Here was going to be yet another vague prediction, I could see it coming a mile away. "This card suggests that you're path is steady, and true. I assume it means your path as a guardian. As always, you draw cards of swords. You were meant to protect the Queen, and you will. These cards suggest that you are her closest ally, and will continue to do so. But from there on, it becomes confusing. This card here… it suggests new life. But what type of new life could you have, when the cards very clearly suggest your path as a protector to your queen?" My mind immediately thought about the wonderful life Dimitri and I were building together. We were living our dream. We were both guardians, but we were still able to live together and be together. I snapped back to what Rhonda was saying. "That is why I asked about a Moroi lover, because it could have suggested a child, but that is very clearly out of the question as well. Genetically speaking, it's impossible. But that's not even all of the troubling part. You'll also be struggling, alone for a while, no one will be able to fully protect you from this struggle," she said while glancing over at Lissa. "This card right here signifies a journey. A new journey from what I can tell, a new path on life. This isn't insinuating any journeys that might be in tow from being a guardian of the Queen. So it's clearly confusing since it contradicts your very distinct path as a guardian, and the Queen's closest ally." She shook her head as she finished. "Rose Hathaway, I'll say you're definitely one to watch." My eyes darted to each of the cards she had pointed to. She had been so certain and yet so confused. Part of me wanted to write it all off as bullshit, but I had known better, didn't I? Didn't she kinda predict Dimitri's death?

I shook my head. No. She was reading into nothing. There was no real talent here. We bid our farewells, and Lissa and I made our way to our next appointment, quietly. I think we were both soaking up what Rhonda had told us. Although, I couldn't help but smile when I realized what Lissa had booked for us. We were both getting manicures and pedicures. It wasn't very often that I got to have this done. I wouldn't pay for it on a regular basis, since it wouldn't last very long. My 'violent' lifestyle made it to where I couldn't keep nails if my life depended on it. Although, I did enjoy them while they lasted. My eyes flicked around the room for inspiration as I debated what I wanted for my nails. I instantly saw something that caught my attention, and I knew it was what I wanted. On a mannequin hand, I saw a set of what could be best described as a type of chrome French manicure. The majority of the nails were a mat, medium silver grey, yet they managed to capture the light in beautiful ways. The tips of the French manicure were a flashy metallic silver or chrome. It could have been an accent on a rich luxury car. They reminded me of myself in a few ways. I could admit that sometimes I could be… flashy. I certainly loved to catch Dimitri's eye. And let's face it, my personality isn't exactly quiet. Some people would call me attention seeking. Let's just say that I didn't mind attention, I could handle well under pressure. And these nails, they looked like they liked attention as well. My manicurist was ready for me, and I told her exactly what I wanted. Of course it only made sense for my hands and feet to match. Well, it's not like I had this done very often, so I didn't exactly know the trends and etiquette of nails, but it felt right to get my hands and feet to match. I just knew what I liked.

Lissa and I chatted away with light conversation as they pampered both our hands and feet. It felt good. I was so used to using them as weapons, I barely registered the need to really take care of them. Lissa's hands and feet were a lot softer than mine, but then again, I had had a million blisters and calluses to her one. That was just the way of the world in these instances, and I didn't envy her for it. I would rather kill Strigoi before I had to change and oversee the politics of the entire vampiric world. At least my job was straight forward. But regardless, Lissa and I enjoyed the papering we received, although they had to scrub at my hands and feet infinitely longer than Lissa's. To make up for all that time, she chose to get intricate nail art. I was watching as they used these tiny brushes. I couldn't even see the bristles, these brushes were that tiny! But they still accomplished their jobs. These manicurists could paint the most amazing things on such tiny canvases as nails. By the time we left, our hands and feet were soft, and our nails looked amazing.

Lissa and I had spent the next several hours getting prim and proper for our dinner. It was a nice and relaxing atmosphere, and it had been entirely too long since I had spent three hours working on my makeup alone. And yes, that's totally a thing. Most of the time you have a simplified routine that takes minutes. This time though, we went through all the proper steps, turning our faces into masterpieces. We both had killer smokey eyes with wicked winged eyeliner. We had used different colors around our eyes of course. Since my eyes were brown, we had used whites, pinks and purples to create a stellar, sensual smokey eye. It almost appeared to bring a lot of warmth and passion to my eyes. For Lissa's smokey eye choice, we chose pale golds, greens and dark blues. It really emphasized her eyes, which only showed and accentuated her royal heritage. And as far as I was concerned, the Dragomirs were the best royal line… but there was no way I could be biased right? Naw.

Lissa had chosen a dress for me, much like she had done at the equinox dance back at St. Vladimirs. This time I hadn't gotten the chance to see it though, or even know about its existence until it was brought up to her suite via room service. Both of our gowns were brought up this way.

"No way." I exclaimed, knowing what was happening when I saw two dress bags. She looked over at me cheerfully.

"Of course Rose, and wait until you see it!" She said, excitedly.

"NO, you already knew that I can't accept gifts like this-" I had started to say, but my jaw had kinda dropped when she had pulled my dress out of its bag. To put it simply, it was gorgeous. It was a general red- violet color with a sheer black over layer. It allowed pops of bright red violet at times, depending on how tightly the two layers were pressed together, but also was dark and beautiful. The coloring just oozed sultry and sexy. It was a one shoulder dress. The red violet under layer went thinly across my shoulder, down to fully cover my abundant cleavage and stopped a couple inches below my crotch. The black sheer layer actually gave me a sleeve down the arm closest to my shoulder, following the rest of the trim of the under layer until it reached the bottom hem. The sheer layer was cut in a high-low fashion, being higher in the front, but still longer than the under layer, and definitely longer in the back. After wrenching my eyes away from the dress, I stared up at Lissa. How could she expect me to wear this? It was beautiful. Now I understood why she had wanted me to wear these particular colors in my smokey eye. "Lissa, it's too much, I can't-" I started again.

"No, I bought it specifically for you Rose. Don't make me compel you to wear it." She said, giving me a look. I looked at her back, we both knew she would never use compulsion on me unless she absolutely had to, and it would have to be a life and death situation. "And besides, I never got to properly thank you for taking a bullet for me," she said smiling radiantly. She knew exactly how to wear me down.

"Fine, but this is all the gratuity I can take from you. I am doing my JOB by protecting you. I don't do it for tips." I said, striding over and taking the dress from her. She was still smiling.

"I know, but it does help having your best friend as Queen." She was very cheery. She could see how much I liked the dress. It almost felt like we were two young girls again, playing dress up in her room. Even though I had always been a tom boy, playing dress up with Lissa had always been fun. We laughed together, and loved making each other feel beautiful. Maybe that is why we had both grown up being pretty self-confident in our appearance. As children we had constantly reinforced our beauty to one another. So what if no one else ever saw it, we believed in each other. Of course, the rest of the world could see it, and we had both certainly appreciated it.

I slipped away into a closet to try on my new dress. Before actually wearing it, I had slipped the fabric through my fingers. It felt light, sexy and expensive. When I put it on I realized just how soft the material was, and airy. I kind of felt like I was wearing a cloud, not that I looked fat or 'fluffy' in anyway. I looked into the mirror. Wow. This dress clung to my curves in all the right ways, and yet it didn't feel heavy in ways other dresses could. I could still move in this dress. I felt like I could really breathe, like the dress was also breathing on its own accord. I pulled on a pair of strappy standardly sexy heels I had grabbed from my apartment on the way back from the spa. I was walking out of the closet, looking down at my dress, running my hands over the airy material, when something shiny caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I looked up, and my jaw literally dropped. It was Lissa.

I was just now seeing the dress in the second bag for the first time. She had changed in this empty room simultaneously while I was changing in the closet. There was, thankfully, mirrors out here as well. I had known Lissa was Queen, but she really looked it right now. She was breathtaking. The dress was pretty simple, but that only added to the effortless elegance she was currently bathing in at the moment. It was a spaghetti strap dress, with a decently modest sweetheart cut covering her cleavage. From there it clung slightly to her ribcage and hips, but also flowed around her. It must also be made out of some sort of airy material. The dress ended about mid-calf, getting more sheer the closer to her feet it got. It was a simple cut, but it accented her straight Moroi body type excellently. But it was the color that had originally caught my eye. It was a pale gold that closely mirrored the color she had added in her eye shadow pallet. This material though, it shimmered and shined, catching every sparse ray of light it could. It looked like it could have been made out of tiny gems. It made Lissa look ethereal. She was a picture of Moroi perfection. She adorned a pair of gold heels that had also been sent along with the dresses. We had both fixed our hair down in wavy locks, although Lissa's was wavier than mine. She has basically curled her hair, I had just blow dried mine. We looked stunning and we knew it. We probably didn't have to get so dressed up for a family and close friends dinner, but we were enjoying ourselves. The last touch for Lissa was a tiny tiara. It was perfect for this close intimate setting with friends, but still registered her as Queen.

The dinner was set to happen in Lissa's building, but apart from her suite. There were many such rooms readily available to the Queen's disposal without having to intrude on her personal space. When we walked into the room, all eyes were upon us. Okay, maybe it helped that the guardians had insisted on announcing her before entry. Looking around, we were the last to arrive. Everyone had dressed up some as well, although Lissa and I completely stole the show. It was clear by the looks on everyone's faces. It looks like everyone had gotten the memo to dress up though.

After my initial glance around the room, my eyes landed on Dimitri. For a moment, he was the only one in the room for me. By the look on his face, he was thinking the same thing. He was seemingly frozen, except for those eyes. His eyes were all over me, looking me up and down. He was holding a glass, and it had been partially raised to his lips when I walked in the door. Since then, he hadn't moved. For once, he wasn't wearing his signature leather duster. He was wearing a suit. Even in a suit, he looked stunningly handsome. He was definitely tall dark and handsome, and all mine. After drinking him in, I finally moved, and started on a path right for him.

"Hey comrade, don't you feel naked without your signature duster-" I had started, but when I had reached Dimitri, he had finally moved. In a swift, fluid motion, he had set his glass down on an end table that he had conveniently been standing near, grabbed me, pulled me closer, and then dipped me backwards before planting a deep kiss onto my lips. I couldn't help but smile like a fool and kiss him back, my arms wrapping around his neck. At that moment, nothing else mattered in the entire world. Hell, the only things existing in the world was his lips on mine. It felt like the big bang when the universe was supposedly born. He finally stopped kissing me, but kept his face close to mine. I could finally recognize again that there were other things existing in the world, and other people in the room. But that couldn't wipe the smile off of my face.

"And to think comrade, I'm not even wearing a lust charm this time." I said teasing him, still dipped backwards while he was basically bowed over me. The old Dimitri back at St. Vladimir's had needed a lust charm in order to act so impulsively upon seeing me in such a sultry fashion. Not this Dimitri, we no longer had a need to hold ourselves back. Dimitri smiled widely and righted me to a vertical position while whispering in my ear, "Roza, I can't wait to get you out of that dress." Only I could hear him, and the lust in his voice. It amazed me how statements like that still caused my body to burn with passion, after how many times we had slept together lately. I'm pretty sure I was blushing all the way down to my cleavage.

Now that I was vertical again, I looked over the room again to see who all was here. I saw my mother and father (Janine Hathaway and Abe Mozur), Lissa and Christian (who looked like he was just as enraptured by Lissa as Dimitri had been by me), Jill, and then….. Adrian. I froze as I saw him glaring at me. It was a look that I hadn't seen before. There was disgust in his eyes, and anger. There was a lot of anger. Dimitri followed my gaze, and then kissed me on my forehead as if trying to comfort me. It was such an easy gesture since he was a whole foot taller than me. My eyes dropped to the table separating Adrian and me. I didn't want to cause a scene. I had promised Lissa I would try to be good.

The table was set in the middle of the room, and was perpendicular to the door. So the door would be being the back of one of the guest sitting in the center of the table. Like Lissa had promised, there was assigned seating. Hopefully Adrian would follow rules for the first time in his life. Around the inside of the room, guardians dressed in black were stationed like pillars supporting the walls. I was glad I wasn't on duty tonight, but then again, I was a guest. So it wouldn't have been planned while I was working.

Lissa walked towards the table, taking her seat at the very left hand edge. This was a social cue for all of us to find our seats. Our names were on our plates on a folded card that stood by itself, as if to grab attention. Christian was seated on one side of Lissa. Beside him sat Janine, and beside her was Abe. Adrian was seated on the other side of Lissa. Beside Adrian sat Jill, and beside her was… me. I had somehow hoped to put more space between us than a 15 year old girl. Dimitri sat beside me, at the end of the table. I guess Lissa had taken into consideration how he was a rather large man, although he was lean. He just needed the extra space. Lissa was at one end of the table, and Dimitri and I on the other. But I guess this had to be a requirement in order to keep Adrian and me apart. At least Lissa and I had gotten to spend the day together. As our monarch, she deserved no other spot than at the head of the table.

After sitting down, waiters had come and asked us what we wanted to drink. It didn't take long for them to fulfill our requests, and quickly after, our food was brought out. Lissa had taken it upon herself to preorder our dinners. On each of our plates sat a different food. It was each of our favorite foods. I smiled widely as the waiter sat down in front of me chicken and bacon carbonara. When she hadn't known what others, like Dimitri, Jill, Janine and Abe wanted, she had asked beforehand. So far, dinner was moving smoothly, although Adrian was complaining because Lissa had refused to let alcohol be served at the table. It didn't take long for individual conversations to break out. Christian was glad to be spending time with Lissa, even though he was sharing her attention with Adrian. Jill had mentioned to me that she had wished she could be closer to her sister, but she seemed to be pleased to be sitting close to Adrian. I had always thought she had a crush on him, although he was way too old for her. He had always treated her like a sister. That affection shone through today, although Adrian and I ignored each other's presence.

"So Dimitri, we never got to go on that hunting trip. All the same, I have some questions for you." Said Abe, leaning towards my boyfriend. I groaned. Did we really have to talk about his here? Janine looked up from her plate, his comment had obviously sparked her interest. Dimitri looked a little uncomfortable, since we were technically in public, but he knew he couldn't put it off forever. It's not like he was scared of my parents, he just shared my sentiments on how it could be a conversation not done in public.

"Ask away, Mr. Mazur." Said Dimitri, not displaying any uncomfortableness in his voice to my father.

"Oh-ho, call me Abe." Said my father, chuckling just a little. His eyes flashed with intelligence, and I knew right then and there he was about to ask something we hadn't been prepared for. "I've gone through the testimony that Victor Dashkov gave at his trial." Everyone was listening now, at the mention of that one name. He had affected the lives of Lissa and I too much, and it had been the one person I had killed who wasn't undead. "He had mentioned the idea of investigating a statutory rape case at St. Vladimir's." Abe continued. Both Dimitri and I visibly stiffened. I didn't want Dimitri to get into trouble. "It got me to thinking about other testimony given during that day, and I was curious in what way my daughter was driven to attack you when Lissa had been kidnapped." He finished, obviously happy at the friction he had caused at the table. Sometimes I swear, that old man wasn't happy unless he was the only one in the room who was comfortable. Nearly everyone in the room knew what had happened at St. Vladimir's between Dimitri and me. We had a forbidden love. I was technically underage when it had started. We hadn't had sex yet, during the time this testimony was given, but that hardly mattered. We eventually did go on to have sex a couple months before my eighteenth birthday. Jill would have never known. My mother and Abe only suspected, they could probably push for an investigation although I was no longer underage. It could put into danger his guardian status, or at least who he was assigned to. Everyone else at the table had known about Dimitri and me. I was frozen, but Dimitri acted calmly, knowing it was best not to deceive my father.

"Your daughter and I had an attraction at the time, although we both fought it due to our student teacher roles. She did attack me yes, I just failed to go into the specifics. Victor's 'attack charm' was actually a lust charm he had put on a necklace he had given Rose. It encaptivated both of us. Although, like I testified at court, I was able to… deactivate it before any real…. danger occurred." He finished. He presented it like it was evidence. I looked back at my father, to see if I could read his expressions, but he was a very astute poker player.

"So what, from there on out, you continued to defile my daughter?" Asked Abe, although not in an angry way. Dimitri tried to hide a smile as he scratched his eyebrow with one of his fingers.

"No Sir. I actually told your daughter that it was a mistake, and that I didn't like her that way." Said Dimitri. I think both of us were glad at the moment that it had actually gone that way, although I never would have thought that I would be happy for such a thing. I had hated it at the time. Janine was watching the confrontation intently.

"My daughter inherited too many of her old man's intelligent genes to have believed that for long." Prompted Abe. Dimitri actually smiled.

"You're right. It took her about an hour to figure out that I had lied, and she had no problem in confronting me about it." Said Dimitri, smiling over at me. Abe seemed amused now. I was relieved that he wasn't insisting on pressing charges…. Yet.

"What happened then?" Asked my mother, her voice having more steel in it than my father's at the moment. Dimitri's eyes flitted over to my mother. They worked together. They were colleges. My mother respected Dimitri, yet here he was, sleeping with her daughter. I was too painfully aware that everyone else at the table was completely silent. Everyone was listening to the story. Lissa had heard it from my point of view, but not Dimitri's. And I knew better than to interject into my parent's questioning… for now.

"I explained to Rosa, that we could never be together. I was Vasilisa's guardian at the time, and Rose hoped to be her guardian as well. The Moroi come first- that is our creed. I told Rosa that I couldn't let myself love. If I loved Rose, then I would want to throw myself in front of Rose if a Strigoi attacked, instead of my charge." Said Dimitri, his voice getting a little quieter as it got more personal. I grabbed his hand on top of the table, so everyone could see.

"And I told you that your reasons for not loving me, only made me love you more." I said, unable to keep myself from interjecting. "It still caused us to put some distance between each other. Lissa was the last one I wanted to put in danger for my own foolish whims." I finished. Janine slammed her fist down on the table.

"So you're trying to tell me that you were that torn up about a man you weren't involved with, which lead you to go on a Strigoi killing spree in Russia? I don't believe it!" She said, a little bit louder that she needed to. Abe put a hand on her shoulder. My eyes flitted back down to my plate. She knew I was distraught for a reason. Silence ensued for a moment.

"Guardian Hathaway-" Dimitri started, using her formal name since she was angry, "did you ever wonder how the alarm was triggered so quickly the night the Strigoi attacked?" Her face paled.

"You were WITH my daughter in THAT way, that night? I thought you were just telling us that nothing was happening!" She roared, obviously upset. I felt myself start to speak before I knew I was doing it.

"I was shadow kissed mom. Lissa had just been tortured by all the elements, which is what ended up breaking the wards in the first place. They did it right near the wards, and the magic cancelled each other out. Lissa's spirit darkness took over her that night." Although I was still looking at my plate, I saw Liss look away at the memory. "I couldn't let her go through it, so I took it all in myself, which led to me brutally punching one of the Moroi. Dimitri had to remove me far from the situation- the cabin. He had to physically restrain me from escaping the cabin and finishing the job. The darkness wouldn't let me give up the rage I felt." I looked up at Dimitri, he squeezed my hand as he let me continue. "We had done so well at staying away from one another, but he was literally on top of me to keep me from escaping, and the chemistry took over. That was the first time it ever happened." I sought eye contact with my mother before adding one more word. "Ever." She understood the meaning without further explanation. The entire time I had spoken softly, but everyone had heard. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Adrian was still hoping that my mother was going to cause drama, but I saw her face soften.

"So that's why you were so distraught. You wanted to go back in the cave instead of retreating. You wanted to save the only one you had been with, and I had to physically restrain you. I had to force you back to the reestablished wards." Said Janine. She understood that I lost Dimitri the night after I had lost my virginity. Maybe she understood now how much pain I was going through. By the looks on my parent's faces, it didn't seem like they faulted Dimitri and me. Maybe they understood that he didn't just seduce me.

"Wait, you slept with Dimitri while he was your teacher?" Asked Jill, plainly alarmed.

"I was nearly eighteen Jill, and close to graduating. I didn't say it was right though." I said, attempting not to give her any ideas. Adrian started talking to her softly.

"So you're saying you couldn't continue to resist my daughter's womanly wiles." Said Abe, his eye sparkling. He was teasing us. That's a good sign at least.

"I don't have wiles, old man. I'm just-" But whatever I was about to say, never happened. At that very moment, the door slammed open, and a large group of Moroi ran into the room. Immediately Dimitri and I were on our guards. I was slow however, because they had barged in behind me. Many of them went straight for Lissa, the Queen. Luckily the Guardians around the room had jumped to attention. Some had put themselves between Lissa and the attackers, while others pulled her and Christian to a safer location. Things happened so fast. All I knew is that Dimitri and I were fighting side by side. We were knocking out the Moroi attackers, and kicking away their weapons. My dress flowed with my movements effortlessly. I didn't stop to look up until every enemy was unconscious.

But there I saw a peculiar sight. Jill was laying on the floor. Adrian and Eddy Castile, who had been on guard that night, were by her side. She looked fine now, but I saw a very large blood stain on the front of her dress, as well as on the floor. There was also a knife that had been thrown aside, covered in blood. I looked at Jill, she looked like she was perfectly fine. Eddy was now moving her. It was Adrian who caught my attention next. He looked completely drained. It was in that instant that I realized what had happened. The blood stain was directly over her heart. Jill had died. There was no way that she wouldn't have, with the amount of blood on her and the floor. And Adrian had saved her. Jill was now like I had once been. Jill was shadow kissed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**

Again, I don't own any of the original Vampire Academy Characters. They all belong to the wondrous mind of Richelle Mead.

Thank you for the two reviews I have received! I hope to get more as chapters are posted! Although I guess an increase in views should tell me that people are seemingly enjoying what I've written thus far?

I'm still figuring out what things the website will transfer over from my word documents. Apparently horizontal lines across the page to signify a period of time has elapsed is not one of them. I will continue to experiment with this chapter. Maybe I'll try making my own lines instead of using the easy premade ones.

I want to know your opinion. Send me a message with your answer (not a review). I would like to know if y'all think my chapters are too long. I figured it is a possibility for why less people are reading my second chapter than my first. When I had been really interested in reading fan fictions (back in the days of Quizilla), I always personally liked the longer ones. I was always frustrated when people posted short chapters, but maybe I am an oddity? Anyways, shoot me a message with your answers!

- **Chapter Three:**

After the attack, we had been moved to Lissa's suite. It was the closest and easily defendable room. Lissa, Christian, Adrian, Jill and Abe were securely inside. I was also in the room with them, but in guardian mode. I had broken my heels while fighting the Moroi dissidents, and was currently pacing the perimeter of the room barefoot. More like I was stalking the walls and doors, daring any of it to move. I was on edge. I was enraged that anyone would try such an attack. How did they make it far enough into the building to make it into that dining room anyways? How had they known we were in that one room? How had they managed to make it to Jill?

Okay, I had already worked out the answer to that last one. Adrian, Jill and I all had our backs to the door. It took all three of us moments longer to realize what was happening. I had been more angled towards Dimitri since I had been attempting to steer clear of Adrian. When I had heard the door slam open, it had taken me too long to react. I had immediately spun around out of my seat, towards Dimitri, following him into battle. He had no such delay and had immediately switched to guardian mode. If I had spun towards Jill, I could have kept her behind me and kept her safe. But when you're in the moment, and acting instinctually, there is no logic to such things. I considered it my fault that Jill had died…. even if she was still technically alive now. _You could have saved her._ I shook my head, trying to empty that thought out of my mind. It was a good thing that Lissa had kept the table from drinking that night. Alcohol numbed the magic power of spirit. If Adrian had been drinking that night, he might not have been able to bring her back from the world of the dead.

No one was talking about this though. It was an unspoken rule. As far as the rest of the world was concerned, Jill had not died. Jill was alive. No one could know she was shadow kissed. It was also understood how this information could destabilize the Moroi government. Suddenly, something that Rhonda had said only hours early clicked in my mind. _I see death in the future, although it is not necessarily your own._ It had been spoken to Lissa, but this was her half-sister. Jill was a Dragomir by her paternal genes. Jill was the only reason that Lissa had a right to rule, under current legislation. We had thought that it was time to change that rule, but only now realized the full priority of it. Jill and Lissa are in danger. Isn't that kinda what Rhonda had predicted? Although I had known there was a certain amount of danger with making my best friend the Queen of the Vampiric World, it just now hit me all the danger it entailed. The last queen had been MURDERED, and someone was attempting to repeat history.

I spared a glance over at Jill. She was paler than normal, with Adrian and Lissa right by her side. They were talking in hushed tones. I could imagine Jill being in shock. I immediately felt guilt radiate throughout my body. I started pacing the room at an even more furious pace, it was my only hope in battling these thoughts. I was the only reason Jill was even here. It was my fault that Jill was in the public eye at all. I had gone searching for the illegitimate child of Eric Dragomir, Lissa's father, in order for Lissa to receive her rightful place at court. We had hoped she would be able to battle the corruption that we saw so easily. While Lissa was trying to find proof that I was innocent in the murder of the former Queen, time was essential. I had gotten Adrian to recommend Lissa as a nominee for the new monarch position, although since she had no known family members, she was not technically eligible. But the nomination had caused substantial upheaval in the government, buying us the time we had needed. I had succeeded in finding Jill, bringing her to court, and announced her as a Dragomir. Lissa had gained substantial support by then, and was quickly nominated Queen after I ousted the real Queen killer. I was the one who had brought so much attention to Jill, and it was my fault Lissa was Queen. It was my fault both of them were in danger. _It's all your fault Rose._ An inner voice said inside of me. I couldn't stop blaming myself. Look at what I had done to both of their lives.

In that instant, there was a knock at the door. I was there within seconds. "Who's there?" I asked in hushed tones, my body tense and prepared to attack.

"It's me, Rosa." Came a voice I would recognize anywhere, Dimitri. He had gone with the other guardians after locking us in this room, with some other guardians as protection, both inside and out. Although some were still weary around Dimitri, since he had once been Strigoi, Dimitri easily slipped into a leading position in times of emergency. He seemed fearless, confident, and his body language commanded respect. It was too easy for most people to fall in line behind him. He had that affect in our world, and apparently in the undead. I shook my head to try to clear it of the racing thoughts, and unlocked the door just wide enough for Dimitri to slide in. He left the other guards behind him. He began explaining the situation to me, and I froze in my spot. He was talking in hushed tones, but I knew the rest of the room had gone completely quiet in hopes of hearing him. After relaying the information to me, he went and kneeled in front of Lissa, relaying the message to her. Everyone was using hushed tones. I still stood frozen, my mind spinning.

How could those that have retreated gotten away? How could we not know how they got into the building to begin with? It was a small reassurance that we had a couple of them detained, but hadn't gotten all of them. I slowly pressed by back against the door. My mind was swimming in thoughts, and they were all I could see. I could see the fear in Lissa's eyes while we had been moved into her suite. I could see the easily visible blood stain on Jill's dress, until they had made her change into one of Lissa's outfits. _It's all your fault Rose. Look what you did to your best friend and her sister. Look what you did to Jill._

I hadn't seen who it was who gently touched my arm, my body was in full reaction mode. I immediately pulled my fingers back, exposing the palm of my hand and shot it upwards, trying to connect it with a nose. Luckily whoever it was, had good reflexes. I looked up after my wrist was stopped by a hand wrapped around it. My eyes jolted back into focus. It was Dimitri. I had almost punched Dimitri, of all people, in the face. I could see the look of concern in his eye. I felt my body relax just a little.

"Rosa." He whispered, studying my face worriedly. My eyes connected with his, but my head was still swimming in thoughts which prevented me from saying anything. "You need to go rest." He said forlornly. So many times we could communicate without thinking. I could only imagine what his understanding was of what was running through my mind.

"No." I said firmly, pulling my wrist out of his grasp almost rebelliously. "Lissa is here, and she needs me." I continued.

"Lissa has other guardians. You are worthless to her if you are exhausted." He said, his accent getting thick again towards the end. He knew I had a hard time fighting him when he did that. I felt enraged again at his words.

"I am not worthless." I steamed. How dare he? How could I leave when I was the one who had put them in danger? How could I leave when they needed me? Dimitri prompted me to look into one of the many mirrors hanging on the wall. I followed his lead. I was still wearing that amazing dress. Earlier I had looked radiant and sultry. Now I looked like a shell of my former self. I seemed drained and ragged. I was shocked. I fought to stifle a yawn. All of a sudden, I felt as tired as I looked. The exhaustion I had felt earlier in the day suddenly caught up with me. The adrenaline from the fight must have helped keep it at bay. My guilty thoughts that had been cycling through my head ever since had allowed no room for such selfish considerations such as energy levels.

"Lissa and Jill will be surrounded by guards tonight. They are making an impromptu bed in one of Lissa's extra rooms for Jill. It will be easier to guard them together tonight while they set up another schedule for advanced guards for the both of them. You should sleep in the meantime. Lissa will need you tomorrow." Said Dimitri, softer this time. He was concerned about me. Lissa had walked up during our exchange. She knew me well enough to know that I wouldn't want to leave her in times like this. Times where I felt like she could still be in danger. She knew that if she didn't intervene, I would stay and protect her no matter the odds. I was fiercely loyal to Lissa, as she was to me.

"I'll be fine Rose." She said simply, as if continuing Dimitri's thoughts. I was feeling several emotions at once. I was still mad, guilty, scared, and tired. So mostly I was conflicted. I clenched my jaw, and bowed my head, conceding.

It didn't take long for me to say goodnight to nearly everyone in the room. Although I did take the time to threaten most of the guardians. I told them if anything happened to Lissa or Jill, they would be in their own personal hell via the compliments of Rose Hathaway. After everything I had been through in the past year, including training with the warrior god Dimitri, I had come to be revered as some sort of prodigy. Most didn't exactly want to challenge me. Afterwards, I checked on Jill, my guilt forcing me to make sure she was definitively all right before I left. I hugged Lissa good night, and then said goodbye to Christian and my father. He hadn't said much at all during the end of the night, but he was watching all of us intently. It would be his style to be attempting to glean information from the situation. Upon seeing Abe, I remembered that my mother had been around tonight as well. Suddenly I remembered Dimitri making a comment about my mother overseeing the Moroi who had been captured. It was nothing that surprised me. It was also her nature to take charge, and she had been there during the attack.

After leaving the well-guarded suite, I stormed back to my own room. Dimitri wasn't far behind me, but I was ignoring him. All of a sudden my energy levels were back, and I was filled with that all-consuming rage again. If I were still shadow kissed, I would have blamed it on the darkness I took away from Lissa, but I wasn't bonded anymore. Yet, I couldn't face him. It's almost like he could feel the emotion welling up inside of me, and was waiting for me to let it out. He followed me, but didn't confront me until we had both made it to our room. Every step I had taken in order to get to our room felt like it had only compounded the anger inside of me. I felt like I had boiling water in my veins.

"What's wrong, Rosa?" Dimitri asked softly, maybe hoping he could coax it out of me before it exploded. But he was wrong. He had stopped shortly after entering the room, allowing me my distance, for now.

"What do you mean what's wrong? How could you even ask me that?" I almost shouted. He took a step towards me as if he wanted to comfort me, but I mimicked him and took a step back. I couldn't bear the thought of him touching me right now. "Since when am I ever fucking worthless?" I yelled, getting louder as I spoke. The rage just started to pour out of me. "I didn't hear you fucking complaining when we were fighting side by side. So what, now that there's not a fight, my worth has depleted? You have told me ever since we met that I am worth SOMETHING. Even when you were a Strigoi, you thought I had value." I was basically screaming at him. We both knew that I had added that Strigoi part in there to attempt to hurt him. I was lashing out. I didn't care how irrational it seemed. At that moment, I wished we had kept a punching bag in our room, because I wanted to use one. Yet, I wasn't out of control enough to want to punch a wall. Even in this state, I understood how much I would get in trouble for that later.

"You know that isn't what I meant-" He started, but I wouldn't let him finish. I didn't want to see him anymore. I'd rather him leave while I was angry, than to see me weak.

"Get out." I interrupted, pointing towards the door.

"But-" He started again.

"I said GET OUT!" I yelled. He was looking at me, but didn't move. There was something irrational about me that I couldn't put my finger on. I didn't want to think about it, and if he were here, I knew I would have to. My eyes were clouded again, so I didn't see him studying me. I made a move towards the bathroom to get away from him, and that's when he chose to make his move as well. He tried to come up behind me, but I moved instinctually again, thrusting my elbow out behind me. I actually made contact this time. I heard him groan as he took the blow, but he didn't let it stop him. The moment he grabbed me, I began thrashing. I didn't want him to touch me, I didn't want to have to think again. I could hear the words starting to come back: _It's all your fault Rose. You are the reason they are in danger._ That guilt was consuming me. And let's be honest, I deserved it. It was my fault after all. Jill would have just been another St. Vladimir's student if it weren't for me. Lissa wouldn't be Queen, she wouldn't have been in more danger than usual. _Look what you did Rose. Both of those things happened because YOU set them in motion._ I desperately tried to get out Dimitri's grip. When he touched me, he made me feel good, loved, and worthy. I didn't deserve to feel like that, so I kept thrashing. Dimitri ended up throwing me down on the bed, and pinning me to it.

"Rosa, stop. We both know you're not actually angry with me-" He started, but I interrupted him yet again.

"Yes I am, get off me!" I yelled, continuing to fight, but it was futile. My arms were pinned down too successfully. This wasn't the first time he had to do this to me; he was getting pretty adept at it. I had disputed his statement just because I could. Part of me deep down knew it wasn't his fault. Dimitri all ways tried to do the right thing. It's not his fault Liss and Jill are in danger, it's mine. It was easier to act like I was mad at him than talk about what was really bothering me, and I hoped I had been hiding it.

"No, you're not. Anger is just your easiest outlet." I stilled a little at this comment. He knew me too well. He continued on, "You know I find you exceptionally valuable. I love you, Rosa." I calmed even more. My mind was still swimming in guilt. My body began to shake a little as I tried to hold on to that false anger, because it was so much easier to deal with than the other emotions. Anger you could do something with; you could work it off. I could go to the gym and punch until my hands bled, or I could go on a run until I was no longer angry. Sadness, remorse, guilt, how do people deal with these emotions? It seemed like most people sat around feeling sorry for themselves, or drank their problems away. Last time I had felt this way, I made an action plan; I went to Russia to kill Dimitri. But this… this was different. How could I fix this?

I didn't want to act this way in front of him. I wanted to be strong in front of Dimitri, not weak. No matter what, in the back of my mind there was that continual need to impress him. "Don't be afraid Rose. Don't lock me out. I'm here for you." He whispered. I fought back the tears that were threatening to fall. I could feel them burning behind my eyes. No. Don't cry. Rose Hathaway doesn't cry. We sat in silence for several long moments while I attempted to keep my body under control. When I was angry- no problem, let's just fly off the handle. When I was upset? No. No one was supposed to see that. Control was essential here. He was no longer pinning me down with such force, but his body was still on mine. I could feel the weight of all that he was. "Let me in, Rosa." He whispered, his lips making contact with my ear. After a moment he whispered again, "Tell me what's wrong." I was pretty sure he let his accent hang thickly on his words purposefully, as he knew this was a weakness of mine. His voice was so soft, so strong, so steady. He wanted to be there for me. He wanted me to bear my soul to him. His soft voice was like a battering ram, attempting to break down the walls I had built up around myself. And yet, why was it so hard to let him in? He has been there before when the spirit darkness had taken control over me, but that was different. Those were circumstances in which I wasn't in control; it wasn't my fault. This time, however, it was.

In the past, I had become adept at holding people at bay. I had held a number of things from Lissa. She never knew about Dimitri until he had been turned into Strigoi, and had been unable to understand why I was so distraught. I had been protecting Lissa by not burdening her with my feelings, or at least that is what I had been telling myself. I had not been able to tell Lissa or Dimitri about seeing ghosts, until there was no other option. Why hadn't I been able to trust Dimitri? Why hadn't I been able to tell him sooner? What if it could have led to a different possibility than him turning Strigoi? If he was the one I truly loved, why couldn't I confide in him? _Because it's your fault. You're weak._ I turned my head so that a tear that escaped my eye, fell down the side of my face and hit the mattress. If I was lucky, he didn't see that.

"Rose." It was all he whispered now, still staying soft. He took a chance at my mood, and planted a kiss in my hair. He had stayed, even when I had tried to push him out, push him away. He was still here. That earned him some credit, right?

"Guilt." It was just one word. It was the only thing I could say right now without breaking down. It was able to clue him in though. I turned my face back to look at him, but he seemed lost in thought. It was as if he was looking at me, but not. Realizations were flashing before his eyes, but he didn't move. He was still on top of me. He didn't recoil as if I were some guilty vermin. Did I really expect him to? No, he hadn't left when I had prompted him to earlier after all.

"Those attacks were not your fault, Rose. You did not hire those Moroi to come after Lissa." He started, his eyes focusing on me again. I couldn't meet his gaze. Instead, I focused on his lips. He paused, but when I stayed silent, he continued, "None of this is your fault. Lissa is safe, and so are your parents. No one got hurt, permanently." He added that last word after a moment's hesitation, as if he wasn't originally going to say it. All of a sudden, I saw Jill's blood stained dress flash through my mind. _It's all your fault. You're the reason Jill died._ I sobbed at the thought. This time, I hadn't been able to stop myself.

Dimitri immediately sprang into action. He no longer pinned me down with his weight. He gingerly pressed my head into his chest, while he scooped me up and repositioned us. He was so strong he had no problems in moving me around. It still amazed me how gracefully he moved, even while basically carrying me. The next thing I knew, he was laying on his side of the bed, with my head on his shoulder. This caused his back to technically be laying against the bed, but his lowered half was angled towards me. His knees were supporting my body, which was curled up next to him. My chest was on his. I could feel every breath he took, and every beat of his heart. Even now, it was difficult to open myself up in such a way. I had always believed that I had to be the strong one.

"Rosa." He murmured while running his fingers through my long dark hair. He knew that one word could cut through me like a knife. It was a sign of his love for me. So many of those 'Rosa's' had been hard won. Now that we were in a real relationship, the affectionate word came much more easily, but it was still a powerful word.

"Jill's life is in danger because of me. I am the one who sought her out. I was the one who found her. It was my plan. I brought her to court and basically introduced her to her deathbed." I said meekly, not moving my head off of his shoulder. I didn't want him to be able to look at me, not in this moment. I continued my internal belittlement of myself. Dimitri sighed before responding.

"You weren't the only one there, Rose. We found her, we brought her to court. Yes, we introduced her into royal society, but we had good intentions. We can't always foresee the future consequences our actions might have. The best thing we can do now is protect her. We can do everything in our power to keep her out of danger." I nodded at his words, but sorrow still ached in my heart for Jill. I had cared mostly for Lissa when I brought Jill to court, and now Jill would pay. As much as I wanted to shrug it off and claim it wasn't my problem, I couldn't. I liked Jill, and it was my fault she was now bound to Adrian. I lamented this for her. I cried for the first time in a while. My exhaustion had caught up with me, and I no longer had the strength to fight Dimitri. Although, it still felt weird to cry in front of him. He loved me, and held me as he attempted to console me. _How childish you are. You're not the one who died. What right do you have to be crying?_ My mind continued its harsh criticism over myself. I tried to push it aside, but I knew it would be back later.

All of a sudden, a completely different emotion welled up inside of me. Dimitri didn't try to stop me this time as I jumped off of him and darted quickly to the bathroom. I guess he decided that I was allowed to move again since I had finally opened up to him. He followed me into the bathroom after he heard the retching noises I was making. He found me crumpled on the floor next to the toilet, my head resting on an arm that was slung over the toilet seat. He came up beside me and gingerly held my hair for me as I emptied more of my stomach into the toilet. My thoughts were racing. Did I eat something weird today? Or was this from my mood swings? Possibly the exhaustion? _You're being punished for your guilty actions_ , one of those voices chided. Could this be guilt? I had no real way of knowing.

I dry heaved a few times before I sat just resting for quite a while next to the toilet. I hadn't wanted to move yet, just in case my stomach wasn't finished. Dimitri stayed by my side the entire time, silent and stoic as ever. I loved how he wasn't judgmental, he was just supportive of me. Finally, he helped me to my feet, and gave me a little space as I brushed my teeth. It had been so long since I had puked like that.

"You're exhausted. Let's get you to bed." He said softly. This time, I didn't fight him like I had before. I could feel it. I was tired. It didn't take us long to get into bed. Dimitri wrapped an arm around me like he did every night. I found it cute, but he always had to have some portion of himself touching me, or he would wake up in the middle of the night. It was like there was some internal alarm that knew he wasn't close enough to me. It was just another thing that endeared me to him. Tonight, we didn't indulge ourselves like the previous night. Tonight was more about the comfortableness one could have just by being near the one they loved. Not every night had to be flaming passion. As I was drifting off to sleep I realized just how much of a gift his calming presence was in my life.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**

Well, I just now read The Ruby Circle, and I am disappointed that things that I had been planning are already in that book, just in a different capacity. But I will continue on with this story anyways. Maybe it isn't such a horrible thing that I could come to similar conclusions as Richelle Mead. My original plan was to start this story right after Last Sacrifice, and have them go visit Dimitri's family. I knew it had to be a priority that Dimitri told his family that he was really alive again, but then I found the 10 page story by Richelle Mead, Homecoming, where she did just that. So I altered my story to start after that. But here I was, thinking I was being brilliant by two wonderful ideas, and it turns out she had thought of BOTH of them already. Great minds think alike maybe? Alright… Rant over.

Alright guys, Im going to make a lemon within the next couple chapters, just not yet. Don't give up on me!

 **Chapter Four**

The next few days went by in a blur. Dimitri and I were nearly constantly on duty, playing the role of consultants to various people, or sleeping. We didn't really have time for extracurricular activities so to speak. While there were plenty of capable guardians at court, Dimitri and I had become rather sensationalized. Dimitri's battle prowess had become fairly legendary, and my name had become somewhat of a household name by various means. First of all, the entire vampiric world knew my name because I was the only suspect in the former queen's death for an extended period of time. It had become widely known how I had escaped jail time, and then cleared my own name. People had also began spreading around other stories about me. Of course, a lot of it had started before that time, but the stories seemed to fly after the vampiric world learned I was innocent. My first Strigoi kills, my role in defending St. Vladimir's, and speculation on how many Strigoi I killed in Russia were just a few of the stories floating around. As a whole, people recognized that it was rare for someone to graduate with two molnija marks and the Zvezda mark on their neck, as I had. I killed more Strigoi before I graduated than some guardians encountered in their entire lifetime. This in particular made my father exceptionally proud. He enjoyed thinking that he sired such an exceptional bad-ass. But none of this meant I was used to being regarded so… reverently by some. Well, of course, I'm amazing. I had always known that. But I was used to people, like the teachers back at St. Vladimir's, putting me back in my place. Dimitri, Janine and Hans still did it sometimes, but it was happening less and less. Did that mean I was becoming more of an adult? I had matured significantly in the past year. Although, I certainly didn't mind people recognizing what I had known for a long time, that I was talented at my chosen profession. So when you really thought about it, I was just gifted at guarding and killing. I guess there could be worse things that I was gifted in. One of my talents usually included getting into trouble, although I had been trying to avoid that lately.

Dimitri and I were currently in one of the rooms used by Lissa while seeing guests and making plans. It had become a priority after the attack to protect Jill. Lissa had come to the conclusion that she needed to be hidden away, for her own safety, until the law was passed that made Jill in less danger. I had guarded Lissa all day while she had been making plans, and was currently still here playing a consultant role. I couldn't abandon Lissa if she needed me. She was currently consulting with an Alchemist who had made the trip in person to talk about such an important matter. This alchemist was dressed up in formal business attire, a navy suit. She had her hair pulled back into a tight, controlled bun. I wouldn't be surprised if it actually hurt her head, it was pulled so tight. Her name was Stanton. Stanton looked distinctly uncomfortable in a room full of 'evil' vampires. Jill had been here all day as well, along with guardians lining the walls. It had been a long day on all of us, but Stanton looked especially tired. She had kept her guard up the entire day, eyeing each vampire in the room, full blood or otherwise. Yet, not a single lock of her hair seemed to be out of place. Part of me wanted to hassle someone who was so uptight, but I knew better than disrupt any planning that was going into Jill's safety. When the plans were becoming finalized, it was late in our vampiric day, and I went to sit next to Jill. She shot me a look of hatred. I was shocked. I had always thought that Jill and I had a decent relationship. After a moment, I regained my composure.

"Jill, what's wrong?" I asked, leaning out to touch her arm. She recoiled as if I had bitten her. "Jill?" I asked again. Her face lost some of that vehemence, but she still didn't look happy to see me. She looked warn out.

"You of all people should understand, Rose. You were once bonded. Did she never feel an emotion so strong, that it took over every part of your being? It makes it hard for me to look at you, even if these aren't my feelings, even if I am not the one you hurt." She said very quietly, making sure that Stanton couldn't hear her. I looked over at Stanton too, making sure we didn't disrupt them. We hadn't. I looked back at Jill, confusedly. It took me a moment to understand what was happening.

"Adrian." I whispered. She nodded. "You can feel intense feelings he has, right?" I asked, seeing how far their bond had progressed. She nodded again.

"I can see his dreams very vividly. I feel his emotions, but they become my emotions, they over ride mine sometimes. He doesn't sleep a lot, so I feel tired because of it." She murmured.

"When it started, I could get a general hum of Lissa's emotions. She then started pulling me into her mind when she started feeling particularly strong emotions, so I could feel them with her. It took me a couple years to really learn how to control it. Lissa hadn't used as much spirit by then as Adrian had though. So maybe your bond is progressing quicker because he already has more side effects from spirit." I said quietly. As we continued talking, Jill calmed down, being able to stand my presence more easily than when I had first approached her. Part of me was surprised how affected she was by his choices, like not being able to sleep. Maybe it was the dreams he was having that were keeping her awake at night.

She had been sitting virtually all day, so I was surprised when she leapt to her feet. At the same time, Adrian had strode into the room. By taking one look at him, I could tell he had been drinking. Although, this wasn't the worst I had seen him by far. I was astonished though, when Jill stumbled to him. The Jill I had known had always walked a lot more gracefully than that. She went up to him and hugged him, looking at him adoringly. They had always had a brotherly and sisterly bond, but something looked off tonight. It took me another moment to put it all together. Jill looked buzzed, as if she had a second hand high from Adrian. I immediately felt furious.

"Lissa." I called across the table, trying to get her attention for a moment. When I had it I continued, "Are you done with Jill today? Can some guardians escort her back to her room?" She nodded. I appointed two trustworthy guardians to take Jill back, before anyone else realized, especially Stanton, that something was amiss. I couldn't let Stanton think that Jill was just a troublesome party girl, and not worth protecting.

I decided to stand back on the wall for the remainder of the meeting, like any other guardian. My mind was swimming in rage, although I managed to keep it off my face, for now. There was no way I could offer advice to Lissa at the moment. Most of my advice had come in handy during earlier planning. Stanton had been excused, and Lissa was now catching Adrian up to speed.

"Jill is going to live in Palm Springs, California, until I can get the law changed." Started Lissa. Adrian's mouth hung open.

"Why there? There's got to be nicer places than a desert… Somewhere that isn't quite so hot." He stated, obviously handling his alcohol well. I knew I needed to stay out of this conversation. My blood was boiling.

"The Strigoi count is low there, and it has a lot of sunlight. Hopefully that will keep her safe in that regard. Since there is so much sunlight, there also isn't a lot of Moroi in the area, which should hopefully keep her safe. That means there are less people there who will recognize who she is, and her importance to our world." Countered Lissa.

"So you're just going to ship her off, not knowing anyone, so she can live by herself?" Adrian asked, seemingly shocked. Lissa gave him a pointed stare.

"No. She is being enrolled in an elite boarding school there, along with a guardian, and an alchemist. Although…. I had hoped that you would go as well, as a mental stabilization for Jill. Plus, you two need to work on your bond." She finished after a moment's hesitation.

"You want ME to go to Palm Springs?" Adrian roared. Lissa shushed him.

"Quiet your voice Lord Ivashkov!" Lissa said, using his formal name to capture his attention. It seemed to have worked. He was looking at Lissa wearily. "We don't need word getting out where Jill is headed. No one can know, so no one can follow her." She finished quietly.

"So you want me to follow Jill around like I have nothing better to do?" He asked, seemingly offended. Lissa cocked her head, looking at him.

"What is it that you do here, that is keeping you from aiding the Queen's sister?" She asked, pulling her royalty card. Adrian winced at that. Lissa sighed. "Adrian, Jill looks up to you. She admires you. She's going to be in a new place with a bunch of new people. Don't you think it's best for her if she has someone who she can talk to? Someone who she likes? I know you have already done Jill and me an enormous favor, but can't you see that Jill still needs you? She is affected by your mind, your bond. You are the person she needs to be near in order to understand everything that is happening to her." Lissa said in an eager voice. She was hoping he could understand. Adrian looked contemplative while muttering something under his breath about denying the ladies of court such a fine specimen as himself.

"I'll go, but I want my own place." He said firmly.

"You're going to stay with the local Moroi for a while. There's only one there, and he is the only one who has a feeder. If all goes well, the alchemists can maybe get you another place. It will be up to their discretion what happens there. Their priority is to keep Jill safe. If they think you can have your own place and remain… objective, than that is their prerogative." She countered. Adrian didn't seem very happy by this, but it looked like he realized that Lissa wasn't going to budge on this. Maybe this was part of the reason he hadn't been in on the initial planning and negotiations between the alchemists. He seemed to be mulling things over in his mind.

"When will we be leaving for… our destination?" Asked Adrian, erring on the side of caution instead of speaking the name of the location. Lissa looked at a clock on the wall.

"Stanton is leaving now to go get her alchemist. She should be able to reach her tonight. They will need some considerable debriefing done, but they are efficient, and should make it there by sometime tomorrow. You will be leaving tomorrow night our time, morning for a human schedule. I suggest you go home and pack. You can't tell your father where it is that you're going, so you will need to make something up. Remember, the fewer the numbers who know exactly what is happening, the better." Lissa warned. Adrian seemed to finally understand. They wrapped up their conversation with the pleasantries. I must have been wearing a good guardian face, because Lissa asked me to escort him home for the night. If she had been able to see the rage swirling within me, she wouldn't have dared, especially with our questionable history. But I nodded my head anyways, acquiescing to her wishes. Adrian didn't seem particularly happy with this arrangement either, but didn't dispute Lissa's choices. It was well known that I was a capable guardian.

For a majority of the walk to where Adrian resided, we were quiet. Our footsteps were easily heard. It was an uncomfortable silence. Adrian seemed to be brooding, and I kept my fury spiraling within myself. When we were close, it was I who finally broke the silence.

"You should know, that I will be attending you on your journey, until Jill is settled in." I told him in a matter of factly way, after clearing my throat. He stopped, turning towards me. He seemed to be sizing me up.

"Please tell me, that I won't have to enjoy the pleasure of your company for too long." He spat, his words laced with poison. It was all I needed in order to unleash the wrath I had been holding back so well.

"Oh no, Adrian, my goal is to see the Dragomir Princess safe, and then return to my position here at court. Although, it's hard for me to believe she will ever be safe with you around, or while she is bonded to you." I shot back just as venomously. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"And what exactly do you mean by that." He stated harshly, it didn't even sound like a question.

"How can she ever be safe when she is connected to you. You're unstable, and she is already catching on to your mood swings. Hell, she couldn't even walk earlier since she caught a second hand buzz from you being so drunk. I don't even think she's sleeping at night. Just what exactly is it that you're dreaming about that is keeping her awake?" I asked, invading his personal space aggressively. The look he shot me was pure ice. We had reached his building, although we weren't at the front doors yet.

"You, Rose." He stated simply, his voice low, painful. This caught me off guard. Out of everything I had tossed around in my head as a possibility, this was not one of them. I had assumed he had been dreaming of one of the various women he had been seen around with. I hadn't expected what he did next either. He pushed me up against the wall, although barely touched me once my back pressed against it. He was most definitely the one invading my personal space now. "No matter how much I try to forget you, there you are in my dreams, full of that vivid fiery passion that makes up your entire being. It's who you are, the way you live your life, the way you love." He spat out that last part like it was the worst thing he had ever tasted. With him this close to me, I remembered how much I had loved him once. He had done everything for me, and I had chosen Dimitri. With Adrian this close, I could also smell the alcohol on him. "I've tried my damnest to forget you Rose, but not very woman can compare. I watch you move like poetry, see you flash those enchanting smiles around. It used to be for me, but now that the Russian is back, it is all for him." I could almost feel the eccentric air around him. It was as if spirit was helping him talk. I felt part of my rage shatter inside of me. So much of this was pain I had caused him. It's hard hurting someone you loved, but I had to follow my heart.

"I realize that none of this is easy Adrian, but think of Jill. You're getting her drunk-" I started, but Adrian cut in.

"I would never give her alcohol." He retorted.

"That's what you don't understand," I started again, glad to push the conversation back on Jill. I was still startled over those dreams he had of me. I shifted my posture against the wall, now standing in a position of power. "You've never been bonded before, but I have. She can feel you Adrian. She knows your moods. She can see what is happening in your head. Every torture you put yourself through, she is enduring as well. When you drank, she felt the buzz! It's slightly different than my bond had been with Lissa, but that shouldn't be surprising. She shouldn't be getting drunk, Adrian! She can see your dreams, your fears, your highs, your lows. She might mirror how you feel and act. It is YOUR responsibility to keep yourself together, for Jill's sake." I finished, feeling passionate about Jill. I should have seen what was coming next. Adrian didn't act like he heard everything I said. He looked enraptured. He was watching my lips the entire time. Next thing I knew, his body was pressed up against me, and his lips came crashing down on mine. We had each been in each other's personal space during this fight, but this crossed the line. I reacted without thinking, combat moves were a second nature to me. I kneed him in the groin, causing him immediate pain. With his body off balance, I pushed him away from me forcefully, and then slapped him across the face as hard as I could. "Don't you dare touch me like that again." I stated slowly, my voice low and dangerous. I watched as a bright red hand print grew across his face. We were both glaring at each other malevolently. If looks could kill, we would both have keeled over dead.

"What's going on here?" A Russian accented voice spoke from the darkness. Both Adrian and I froze, then turned our heads in the direction of the voice. Cringing, I remembered then that we were technically on the street. It was Dimitri and Christian. They were headed in the direction of the way we had come from. My guess was that Dimitri was taking his charge back to Lissa, where he would be safe for the night. I took a deep breath, then turned my head back to Adrian. I tilted my head in a fake way as I responded.

"Lord Ivashkov was just about to go inside his building. I assume he no longer needs my guidance." I said coldly. Adrian didn't respond. He just simply turned around and stormed into his building.

"If your guidance comes with a cherry red handprint across the face, remind me to never ask for it." Quipped Christian, snarky as ever.

"Let this serve as a reminder to never give me a reason to slap you." I countered. Dimitri was patiently waiting, watching me. I was purposefully not looking at him. Engaging Christian was much easier. "I'll let you guys get on your way. I have to go pack." I said, starting to turn towards the direction of my own building.

"Pack?" They said simultaneously. Both of them seemed surprised.

"Yes, I asked to accompany Jill until she was safe in alchemist hands. Her safety is of the upmost priority." I stated. They had been there for some of the planning stages, but had apparently missed that part. Dimitri's eyes darkened. It seemed he didn't like the idea of me leaving after what he had just witnessed. Christian looked between Dimitri and me, seeming uncomfortable. Which, for what it's worth, is a rare occurrence.

"Maybe I'll actually get some alone time with my girlfriend now that her most annoying guardian won't be hanging around." Joked Christian.

"Oh yeah, because I am the problem in that department." I said, letting out a casual laugh. Dimitri was still looking at me, intently.

"I'm going to drop off Christian, and then I'll come help you pack." He said simply, but it was his eyes that delivered the true message. 'I am going to finish my job, and then we need to talk'. I sighed and nodded, leaving to go to our room.

I already had my bagged packed, and was currently lining up the toiletries I would need to grab tomorrow after I used them. This included deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, ect. I wouldn't be staying long. Presumably, the alchemists wouldn't take long to arrive in Palm Springs and start their role in protecting Jill. Hopefully, I would feel that the alchemist taking the position was competent.

I heard the front door open and close, and I made my way into the main area. I leaned against the bathroom door frame as I took in the sight of my boyfriend. I took a moment to really celebrate those words. After struggling for so long with my feelings over him, nearly losing him to Tasha Ozera, losing him to the life as a Strigoi, after believing him when he told me his feelings had faded… after all of that, he was finally mine. We had struggled, but it had made us stronger. Sometimes I woke up, afraid that all these good times had just been a dream. Afraid that I was still back at the academy, Dimitri-less. But no, this was my reality now. Dimitri was mine. He was currently watching at me with one of those hard to read looks. I knew he was thinking something though, so I stayed silent, waiting him out. He finally came up to me, and wrapped me in his arms. He kissed me powerfully, and it had an equally powerful effect on me. I smiled widely, like a kid in a candy store. I enjoyed this possessive side of Dimitri. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and jumped up on him. With the help of his hands on my waist, he helped guide me high enough to wrap my legs around his abdomen. He took a few steps and pressed me up against the bedroom wall. He held me effortlessly, as if I weighed nothing. I had to admit, it was damn sexy. I did thoroughly enjoy how strong he was. When he finally stopped kissing me, we were both out of breath.

"You put Adrian in his place." He stated, after taking a moment to catch his breath. I grinned.

"Of course I did, Comrade."

"If you didn't, I would have to do it myself." He said huskily. He paused, before continuing. "He is leaving tomorrow as well, isn't he?"

"Yes. We are taking two separate planes. Adrian and I will be leaving first, landing in Santa Barbra, California. We will rent a car, then drive to Los Angeles, and pick up Jill and Eddie. From there, we will be able to drive to Palm Springs. It makes it safer, having different destinations." I explained, knowing I wouldn't have to. Dimitri was much better than I at planning such things.

"I wish you didn't have to travel with him." He said softly, his face only inches from mine. He was sending such electric waves throughout my body by being so close, it was a wonder that I could string together coherent sentences. I sighed.

"It's less conspicuous this way. If anyone were to see them from their new school at the airport, it would make sense since they will both be together during school. If someone saw me at the baggage claim with Jill, they could ask her weird questions about it later. Hopefully we won't have such problems. But, it won't be easy traveling with Adrian, especially after slapping him tonight." He looked at me amusingly as I said this.

"I do have to admit that watching you slap him was entertaining. Although I'm not sure which hurt him more, getting kneed, or getting slapped. Hopefully both got the point across that you are mine." His voice got husky again at the end, his Russian accent hanging thickly off his words. His mouth came crashing down on mine again. It was the last words we said all night. He wrapped his arms around me tighter, as he walked us to our bed. Our clothes came off quickly, it was already way to hot in our room, and we were about to make it even steamier.

We made love for hours that night. It was passionate, and animalistic. I don't know how our neighbors could have slept, for neither of us were quiet in the slightest. No one else could make me feel this way. Every time he touched me, he brought me to even greater heights than I had ever felt before. Our passion wasn't fading, it was growing and intensifying. In the midst of our desire, I literally felt like I could have burned the entire building to the ground. I only got a few hours' sleep before I had to get up to make my plane with Adrian.


	5. Chapter 5 First Lemon

**Authors note:**

So for those wonderful, kind souls who have reviewed my chapters, I have a question. I have replied to nearly every review I have gotten. Do you not get my replies? Or can you not reply back to what I said? I'm not necessarily expecting replies, I am just curious. I'm still new to this site.

Sorry for taking so long to update. I got distracted by reading other VA fanfictions, and ideas for my own story/book. It keeps swimming around in my head and I keep doing research that keeps putting this chapter off. Plus this chapter was harder to write than others. It will be easier once the action picks back up.

I am going to skip over the encounters that were actually in bloodlines. There's no point in me rewriting it, it's not my work after all.

Prepare yourselves for some lemony goodness ;) I was going to put it in the next chapter, but I felt like I owed it to you guys since it took me so long to update. I had to get past some of the boring filler things I wasn't quite sure how to write. There are three and a half pages of the lemon. You can always skip ahead to the next chapter later, if you don't want to read it.

 **Chapter 5**

"Jesus Christ, can you turn your aura down? They won't let me sit anywhere else." Complained Adrian. It was the first thing he said to me all day. We were currently sitting on the plane, rolling towards the runway. We had managed to meet, drive to the airport, drop off his luggage, check in, go through security, wait for boarding, and board the plane without him actually say any words to me. I asked him questions along the way, but he had reverted to cave man communication. He sometimes grunted in response, shook his head yes or no, or would occasionally point at something. Adrian was usually sarcastic and witty, so I took this as a sign of how strained our relationship had gotten. So that's why I wasn't sure if it was him talking to me that shocked me, or what he actually said.

"Turn my aura down? Is that even a thing?" I asked, confused about how I could achieve such a solution. "And what do you mean? What's wrong with it?" I asked again. He looked rather disgusted.

"You're shining like you are your own personal sun. That or you got too close to radioactive material. You're too bright to look at head on. Stop thinking about your damn Russian assassin. When you aren't off in your own little world it dims a little. They won't even give me complimentary alcohol to dull it down for you until we are up in the air." He said grouchily, as if he was actually thinking about harassing the stewardess until the moment she could finally feed his alcoholism. We were sitting in first class. I wouldn't expect anything less of Adrian. Part of me wanted to chuckle at the Russian assassin comment, but I knew that wouldn't help. So I just chose to smile instead. I didn't exactly want to push my luck right now. Adrian and I aren't exactly on good terms at the moment. There is no point in pushing the possibility of turning our precarious situation into a volatile one. I had been thinking about Dimitri and the how well our night went. Our sex life still thrilled me. Trying to keep Adrian in mind, I shifted my thoughts to my upcoming task- keeping Jill safe until we met up with the Alchemists. I could feel Adrian release a little tension in his body, so I assumed my aura wasn't as blinding.

After the plane took off, Adrian ordered alcohol as soon as they would let him. With us being in first class, the accommodated him quickly. We had been sitting in brisk silence between us. It was understandable how we both seemed uncomfortable. I was resolute in not bringing up the topic which strained between us. I thought I had made my position perfectly clear.

"I didn't mean for last night to happen." Adrian started, after downing several of the small plane size alcohol bottles. I assumed he needed to let the alcohol set in before starting this conversation. "As much as I hate apologizing to you- I'm sorry. You were only worried about Jill, and I attempted to take advantage of the situation. I probably had too much to drink last night." I was surprised by his words. I hadn't expected him to apologize. He was still pretty angry about me cheating on him, so an apology was the last thing I expected. I nodded.

"Are – the dreams bad?" I hesitated, wondering if this topic was safe to tread upon. He pointedly did not look at me.

"It depends on how you look at it." He paused before continuing, "Are the dreams, in and of themselves, bad? No. I see the passion in which you live your life, and it's provocative to my soul. My dreams show me just how much my subconscious still desires you. In my dreams you're alluring, showing me every reason I wanted you to begin with. My dreams glorify you. So, they aren't exactly bad dreams, but they aren't good for me either. I wake up every day with that pang in my heart. I remember what happened, why you aren't mine any longer. I feel that betrayal and bitterness race through me every time I awake from these dreams. And, I have these dreams every time I close my eyes. I can't escape from you, Rose. It's rather an exquisite form of torture. Of course, then during the day I get to see you and Belikov flashing your relationship around in public. No matter where I turn, there's a reminder of the betrayal, the pain. It's a continual loop I can't escape from." I sat numbly beside him as the words soaked into my being. Torture? That's not what I wanted for Adrian.

"And that's why you can't move on." I murmured. He nodded at my conclusion.

"Last night, I saw the passion as you defended Jill from my life as a screw up. It was the same ardor I saw in my dreams. It was – intoxicating. It's a lame excuse, but it's why I couldn't stop myself." He finished. It was understood without being said that he couldn't stop himself from kissing me. I nodded with understanding, and chanced a look at him. He was gazing at me. Our eyes connected. So much could be said without saying a thing. I could see the anguish that I caused him on a daily basis, and truth in his words. I think he could see my acceptance of what he said. His eyes softened, and I hoped he could see that I wasn't truly trying to hurt him. I hoped he could understand that I never meant to actively wound him. We sat for the rest of the plane ride in silence, but it was no longer the same as before. Somehow, by talking, we had bridged the gap between us. By no means were we healed, but we weren't as uncomfortable in each other's presence. We certainly weren't trying to agitate one another. It was rather a relaxed silence as we endured the rest of the plane ride.

oooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooo

Now that Adrian and I hashed things out, things went smoothly. We landed in Santa Barbra, easily rented a car, due to Adrian being older than I was, and picked up Eddie and Jill in Los Angeles. Their flight had also gone smoothly, but then again; they didn't have the friction Adrian and I had. For once, I actually got to drive, since Dimitri wasn't around. It struck me how I was actually in charge during this trip. I was the senior guardian. In retrospect, it shouldn't have surprised me, given all my field experience. Eddie sat on the opposite side of the car as I did, in the back seat. Adrian was beside me, riding shotgun. Jill was behind me, but she certainly was the loudest. Not that she was actually loud, she was just chatty. It made the car ride to Palm Springs much easier though. I knew that talking helped burn off some of that nervous energy she must be feeling. She was being thrown into a new environment, for her safety. Luckily, she would have Eddie and Adrian around. Part of me wished I could guard both Lissa and Jill, but unfortunately I couldn't be in both places at once. _Lissa may be your best friend, but it's your fault Jill is in danger. You're responsible for her death._ I glanced in my rear view mirror at Jill, before shaking those thoughts out of my head.

Pulling into the address I had been given for the Moroi house in Palm Springs, I immediately stiffened. There were already two cars pulled up in the circular drive in front of the house. One of which was a rental car. The alchemists weren't supposed to arrive before us. Putting the car in park, I got out and helped Jill out. Eddie helped Adrian. We formed a protective formation with me in front, Jill and Adrian behind me, and then Eddie in the back. Eddie picked up on the same signs I saw along with my posture, and remained just as tense as I did. Keeping my eyes peeled for moment, we made our way up to the front door. I knew Eddie had our backs. If anyone had been watching, they would have thought we were just confidently walking up to the front door. It was a trait guardians trained for. Stay alert, but remain confident. With all my experience, I had mastered such moves. With the others pausing behind me, I knocked on the door. It didn't take long for someone to answer it, although I was shocked to see a familiar face.

"Ah, here's the party we have been waiting for. Come in, come in. I've been telling Mr. Donahue how you have been estranged from court life." Said Abe, of all people. Mr. Donahue had no idea who we actually were.

"Old man, what are you doing here? You must have left yesterday in order to beat us." I said, surprised to see him. Although, I shouldn't have been surprised. He was known for pulling things like this.

"Of course I left yesterday. I had to make sure that everything went well for my daughter when she arrived." He countered, stepping aside so that my group could make it inside. It was a very well built, big house. Abe showed us to the main living room, where Mr. Donahue was sitting. We were all introduced to him, and his son, who was sitting next to him. After being in a plane, and a car for so long, I wasn't contented to just sit around. Using hand signals, I subtly told Eddie that I was going to secure the rest of the house. As a professional guardian, it wouldn't be acceptable to just assume that the house was safe. I checked every room, doing the seeing-without-seeing thing in rooms with personal items, like Clarence Donahue's room. It felt good to stretch my legs, and focus on a task rather than just sit around chatting with the group. It was better for me to secure the area and leave Eddie to acclimate the group he would be staying with, than visa versa. After checking all the rooms, I slowly made my way back to the living room. I nodded to Eddie that the place was secure, not that I expected to find any Strigoi hiding in the place.

"Ah, so that is where my darling daughter disappeared to." Said Abe loudly, after noticing me. I walked into the room hearing some uncomfortable questions about why Jill and Adrian left court. I certainly didn't mind Zmey using me as a distraction.

"You know me, old man. Just had to make sure the house was secure." I said, leaning up against a wall. This made Clarence Donahue's eyes light up.

"Young lady, would you mind checking the outside perimeter? It has been a while since someone who knew what they were doing checked it" He said in his weak, old voice.

"I don't think Strigoi are usually in this area." I said, nodding, still consenting to checking his property.

"It's not Strigoi I am worried about." He said solemnly. I gave him a look, fervently wishing I could ark my eyebrow upwards like Dimitri could. I didn't question him, due to the look his son, Lee, adorned when Clarence brought it up. It was a look of 'oh god, not this again'. I wordlessly turned and walked to the back door. I noticed that it seemed rather old and rusted, although the door was in good shape. I started by walking the outside of the house, looking for weaknesses or rotting. I then made a sweep of the entire outside perimeter, and checking the gardens. It took quite a bit of time, but I didn't see much out of place. Before making my way back into the building, I notice another car had pulled up in the circular drive. The alchemists must be here. I wonder who they sent? When I finally made it inside, I was shocked to see yet another family face. It must be a reunion of sorts. It was Sydney Sage, an alchemist I had met in Russia.

The group talked for a while before Sydney took off with the other alchemist, Jill, and Eddie. Adrian was to stay here at Clarence's house. Adrian was purposefully staying away from me, which didn't really bother me. This was not the place for Adrian and me to sort out whatever little friendship we had left. My flight was going to take off in about 7 hours, so I knew it was time for me to hit the road. My tickets had been booked to fly out of Las Vegas, which was hopefully far enough away from Palm Springs to deflect any attention. It was still going to take me around four hours to drive there. I bid goodbye to the Donahues, along with Adrian, although Adrian didn't respond. When I got in my rental car, I was surprised to see Abe getting in the passenger seat next to me.

"Woah, what do you think you're doing Zmey?" I asked. He smiled widely, throwing a tiny suitcase in the back seat.

"Oh, you didn't know I was flying out of Las Vegas with you?" He declared. It was obvious to him that I was unaware, and he was taking pleasure in being the better informed person in the room.

"I didn't know you were going to be here at all. What about your rental car parked over there?" I questioned. He shrugged it off with a gleam in his eye.

"I've already arranged for someone to come pick it up, so I could leave with my only child." I wasn't sure if his smile could get larger than it was now. I just shook my head, and started the car.

After a while of driving, I let my thoughts of my father cloud my mind. I still had so many questions about him, although I still wasn't sure I was ready to ask all of him. He had become a new fixture in my life, and even broken me out of jail. He tried to be there for me.

"So tell me the real reason you were in Russia." I asked, already thinking I knew the answer, but that didn't stop me from wanting to hear him say it. He looked over at me.

"Don't you already know?" He asked back. I spared a glance at him, before returning my gaze back to the road.

"Cut the crap old man and just answer my questions for once." I responded.

"Janine told me you were missing. I happened to do some digging, and learned about your mentor's death. Digging up information on him was even easier. I chose to stay close to my business in Russia while I had every contact I knew looking out for you. It wasn't hard for me to make it to Baia before you after Sydney contacted me and told me your desired destination." He stopped, as if it were the end of the conversation.

"You said you were working for someone. Why not come out and tell me who you were instead of making me paranoid? I was an adult, I didn't need to think the entire world was working against me." I stated simply, as if he should have thought of such things.

"Like you would have listened to a man who claimed to be your father, who had previously been non-existent in your life? It was safer for you not to know who I was. Janine and I made that decision a long time ago. If I told you who I was, you would have just brushed me off. So I chose my more natural dominant personality. You may not have known me, but I kept an eye on you from afar. You don't back down to challenges normally, so I knew you couldn't brush me off. It allowed me to attempt to take care of you, although I guess I could have done a better job. If I had made sure you left for Montana from Baia, you wouldn't have gotten abducted." He finished. I didn't exactly need him reminding me of my time incarcerated at the Strigoi house.

"I – might have listened." I said, not even able to believe myself as I said it. He raised an eyebrow, shooting me one of his looks showing me he knew better.

"Come on Rose, you're a better liar than that. It's in our genes." He joked. I couldn't help but chuckle. I laughed along with him. Yes, I had a mother who didn't like me doing anything wrong, and a father who praised me every time I didn't do things the right way.

"Why couldn't you tell me the real reason you were in Baia?" Abe asked, taking the line of questioning into his own hands. We hadn't exactly had the chance to sit and talk together. I visibly hesitated. My breath caught in my throat. He waited patiently as I gathered my thoughts.

"Like I alluded to earlier, I was paranoid. I was afraid you were going to try to stop me, and ship me back to Montana, or worse." I could see his eyebrow raise in my periphery, so I continued. "In one scenario, I decided that the Queen hired you to find me, and kill me off. I wasn't exactly her favorite person at the time." That got me a laugh from Abe, but he didn't otherwise interrupt. "But it was more than that. We worked immensely hard to fight our feelings for one another. It was something forbidden. When you tell yourself every single day that you can't have someone, it's not easy to talk about. And then, we finally gave in to our feelings, and even made plans for our future. It was a day later that he was ripped away from me. I was mourning the one thing I had wanted for so long, that I barely got to have. No one could understand why I was so upset, they thought he was just my mentor. They thought I should move on easier, but no one understood. That's why no one could comprehend why I was so hell-bent on freeing his soul. I went to Russia to kill him- to kill Dimitri. Talking about it – well, it made it real. Only Adrian and Liss really knew. No one else needed to. I didn't need anyone else judging me on my injudicious quest to find Dimitri. Not many people go out looking for one Strigoi in particular. I couldn't think of any other way to move on. I couldn't risk anyone trying to stop me." I finally finished, laying all my feelings from that time period on the line. This wasn't like me, I usually didn't get the chance to just confide in people, especially not Abe.

"You're right, I would have stopped you." He said after taking a moment to let my words sink through.

"Like hell you would. I'm YOUR daughter afterall. I am not so easily deterred." I shot back.

"Neither of us are. Either way, it is in the past." He hesitated before he continued. "And you love him? Truly love him?" We both knew the 'him' that Abe was referring to was Dimitri. Did Abe really think I would have gone to Russia, and all the trouble of freeing Victor Dashkov if I didn't really love him?

"I'm sure, old man, that you are aware of my reputation. I've spent a lot of time flirting, and kissing guys. My freshman year, you could have said that kissing guys was my favorite pass time. None of those experienced can compare to Dimitri. Yeah, I was just being young an immature at the time – but I didn't realize it has a lot to do with body chemistry. When Dimitri touches me in anyway, even if he is just grabbing my wrist, or touching my shoulder; it sends electricity into me. His touch is literally electrifying. Even the most innocent of touches alights the nerve endings hiding just under my skin. It's like I can feel my body spring to life in places he touches me. And, as you can imagine, when the touches aren't quite so innocent, the feeling magnifies exponentially. That doesn't even begin to cover how well suited we are for one another, or how well we understand each other. His deepest darkest secrets are just written on his sleeve for me to read. It scared us originally, how well we understood each other. I can't lie to him, and he can't keep things from me. We both can tell, and can call each other out on it. In the short time I've known him, I can see things that lifelong friends didn't know. It's like our souls just understand one another. As long as Dimitri is alive, I know no one else can compare." I was suddenly remembering my attempt to get over Dimitri with Mason, and when I asked Adrian to compulse me to want to kiss him. As sweet as Mason was, he couldn't compare to Dimitri. Even when I was being manipulated by the power of spirit to want to kiss Adrian, I realized it was more than a mechanical, physical draw I felt to Dimitri.

"You're young, my daughter, so I wanted to make sure this was real." He stated simply, but not unkindly. It didn't bother me as much as it probably should have. I knew not everyone could understand how Dimitri and I felt about each other. I also knew that every young person thinks their love is special. We continued to talk for the remainder of our trip. I must admit, it was enjoyable to be able to spend time to get to know my father, even if he did get on my nerves sometimes.

A couple hours later, we were waiting in the airport for our flight. Instead of just sitting around, we decided to go walking, which ended up as shopping. Abe, being the cunning fox he is, convinced me to model for him. I picked out several outfits and dresses that I normally wouldn't be able to afford and tried them on in the tiny changing room provided by the boutique. Abe was very happy to see the outfits, offering his advice. At the end, he picked out the garments that he liked, and bought them. I was astonished.

"Old man, what are you doing?" I asked, following him up to the cashier.

"I'm making up for a couple of the birthdays I missed." He said, as if it were no big deal. These were **expensive** clothes.

"No, I can't let you-" I started. He gave me one of those signature Abe Mazur looks.

"You think you can control what I do for my loved ones?" He asked, almost dangerously.

"But Abe-" I started again. He pulled out his credit card, and my eyes bugged at the bill. I hadn't thought we would seriously buy anything. I thought we were just passing the time.

"But Abe nothing. You can take these clothes now, or I'll have your boyfriend put them in your closet later. Hell, I can break into your room and put them in there myself." He muttered. I finally sighed, knowing how stubborn our family was. I took the bag from him dramatically, attaching it to my carry-on bag. He was smiling like a Cheshire cat. I could tell the flight home wouldn't be easy after this.

ooooo000ooooo

Arriving back at court, the first thing I knew I had to do was debrief Lissa. We were currently sitting in her living room. Since it was just her and I, along with some of the Royal Guard, she felt no need to occupy the actual meeting room. It wasn't as personal of a space as her private chambers. I told Liss everything I could about the situation at Palm Springs, including the alchemists who were in charge of Jill. I was hoping that if anything went wrong, that Adrian would keep in touch with Lissa.

"Rose." Lissa started hesitantly, pausing for a moment while she contemplated continuing. "Do you think Jill hates me?" She finally finished.

"What on earth gives you that idea?" I asked, shocked.

"I'm the reason she is in danger. If I weren't Queen, then dissidents wouldn't be after her life. I wouldn't have had to take her away from nearly everyone and everything she has ever known. I wouldn't have had to hide her. It's my fault she can't return to St. Vladimir's. It's my fault she can't even contact her parents. She can't see or hear from any of her old friends. She's basically alone and with strangers right now, and it's because of a sister she's barely gotten a chance to know. We haven't had the chance to get used to our roles as family members. You know how awkward it's been so far. And – I want it to get better, but how is that supposed to happen?" Liss was no longer looking at me. She was seeing her thoughts flash inside of her mind. Her guilt was written all over her face.

"She doesn't hate you Liss. She may not like the situation she's in right now, but she doesn't blame you. She blames the bastards who tried to kill her!" I started, leaning towards her and grabbing her hands. "Jill may not like being away from her family, but she likes her sister. After all this is over, you need to take some time and really bond with her. It's not her fault that your father had a fling with her mother. She is the only blood family you have remaining. The attack that night should be a reminder that time is precious. Use it wisely and build a relationship with her, before something happens and it is too late." She seemed a little pained about me bringing up her father, but she still accepted my words.

"So you think there is still hope then?" She asked tentatively. I smiled at her. I knew all too well at the possibility of things being too late. I had almost lost Dimitri.

"Of course I do." I answered without hesitation. She sighed and seemed to relax a little.

"There is something else I wanted to talk to you about." She started, seeming a little anxious. I looked at her cautiously, wishing I could probe our no longer existent bond for answers. God it sucked that we were no longer connected.

"What?" I asked, warily.

"Well, this palace is rather a large place, it can be used for a multitude of different occasions. Most of the rooms are never in use, especially since we have guest housing, and I have no children of my own. Personally, I'm glad we have guest housing so I don't have to worry about someone sneaking into my room-" She started, but I interrupted her.

"We would never let that happen." She smiled at my comment, and then continued.

"Anyways, Rose – I want you to move into one of the downstairs bedrooms." She concluded. Lissa lived on the third floor although both the second and third floor were exclusively bedroom suites. We had decided that a third floor suite was more secure from the outside than a second floor suite. Having so many suites allowed for each monarch to choose a room different than their predecessor. Queen Tatiana, being an impatient woman, had chosen a second story room. On the first floor there were two different meeting halls, a private kitchen, and a small ballroom, along with public bathrooms.

"Oh please don't tell me you want me to move into Queen Bitchs' room-" I started, but Liss interrupted me.

"No of course not. Christian is moving in on the third floor, so he can be close as well. If you and Dimitri move in, you will be close to your assignments. Plus, you've been accumulating a list of complaints at your location." She finished shyly.

"Complaints?" I asked. "Why would anyone complain about me? I'm a fucking ray of sunshine in a place like that. Screw that, I am the sun when I'm there." I said. We both laughed at my sarcastic comments.

"Well, you have certain-" She hesitated, figuring out the wording she wanted to use, "noise level complaints during restful hours." She said slowly, but I caught her meaning very well.

"If they shared a room with a Russian god, then they wouldn't get much sleep either." I mumbled. Lissa couldn't help but chuckle.

"If you move in here, you'll have a whole floor to yourself." She said in a sing song voice, trying to entice me. I let out a huge dramatic sigh.

"I guess Dimitri and I will be packing and moving all day tomorrow." I said, as if this were the biggest hindrance I had ever encountered. She brightened. No, she glowed.

"Great! Let me show you the room I have picked out for you!" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet. I was momentarily stunned by how quickly she went from quiet to extremely enthusiastic. She grabbed me by the hand and practically dragged me out the door with guardians trailing behind us.

"Liss, I still need to talk to Dimitri about this-" I started. She interrupted me again before I could continue. She's been getting bad about doing that lately.

"I just want to show you the room. I'm sure you and Dimitri can talk about it later." It didn't take long for us to be in the elevator. At this time of night, there was a guardian who was permanently stationed in there, as well as one at each of the stair wells. I felt bad for any guardian stationed on elevator duty. Liss was basically bouncing with excitement. She pulled me in the opposite direction of her room above us on the third floor when we arrived on the second. Maybe she was worried about how loud I could actually be. She continued to drag me until she reached a certain door, and then she came to an abrupt stop. She wordlessly encouraged me towards the door, still brimming with energy. I reached for the doorknob, and slowly pushed the door open.

All the lights were off in the room, but the room was still lit up. There were candles everywhere. Several were in the foyer, and I cautiously entered, making my way into the suite. Lissa closed the door behind me. What in the world does she have planned? I looked down at the floor and noticed there was a trail of rose petals on the floor. Wishing I could pull off the Dimitri eyebrow trick, I slowly followed the trail. It led me through each of the rooms, with candles dimly illuminating each of them for me to see. It, along with all the rest of the rooms in the palace, is already furnished. It was quite beautiful and elegant. It's hard for me to believe that a guardian should be living here. The last room was the bedroom. There, sitting on the foot of the bed cross-legged, was my Russian Dhampir god. He was shirtless, only wearing black pajama pants. His hair hung in his face, casting his face in darkness. He still looked calm and serene. My imagination played around with the image of people bowing down at his feet and worshiping him like Buddha. The candles made enough light to highlight each of his muscles, including his eight pack and his strong biceps. Just the sight of him made me want to drool. Why did it suddenly feel like I had been away from him for months? When was the last time I saw him again? Less than 24 hours ago?

"Welcome back, milaya." He said in a low, thickly accented voice. He knew all too well what that did to me.

"So you're in on this too, huh? What happened to talking to me about things?" I asked, leaning against the door frame. I was still appreciating just how hot my man looked, even if he was dressed simply.

"I thought it would make a nice surprise for you. Christian talked to me several days ago, and we both know you wouldn't have turned this offer down. It was an upgrade from our room, plus you wouldn't have been able to turn down Lissa. If it had come down to it, you wouldn't have disobeyed a direct order from your Queen. Plus, it's entirely possible that we might have gotten kicked out of our other room soon anyways." He said, mumbling the part at the end.

"Are you complaining, comrade?" I asked, leaning out of the door frame a little. "Because I think it's partly your fault we were getting noise complains. It takes two to tango." If I could see his face right now, I swear he would be blushing.

"Of course I'm not complaining. We figured after the attacks, this was yet another way to help bolster security. It's a win-win situation." He said softly.

"So you moved us into this suite while I was gone? I guess that explains why my suitcase is over there by that closet." I said, looking away from him. He gracefully unfolded himself and glided off the bed. It still amazed me how such a tall man moved with such refinement. It took him only moments to be right in front of me. Without touching my skin, he moved my long bangs out of my face.

"Are you unhappy Roza? Would you rather we moved back into our old room?" He asked softly. He was so close, his scent intoxicating. I was beginning to feel tipsy from it. My eyes flicked back to his face. My god was his face handsome. Surely this man must be made by divine powers? Science just isn't sexy enough to make men this perfect. I managed to shake my head. I was gone for what, only 24 hours? Any immunity I had gained to his power over me had vanished. I felt weak in the knees just from him looking at me like that.

~~~Starting of the Lemony Goodness~~~

His hand cupped my cheek as he began to lean in closer to me. **BAM** , just like that, I felt that electrical current shoot through my skin, lighting me on fire. It wasn't unpleasant in any way. This was what I was trying to describe to Abe. My world could be turned upside down in mere seconds by one touch from this man- My man. Good chills shot down my spine before Dimitri had a chance to kiss me. When his supple lips touched mine, kissing me softly, my lips buzzed with an even intense current. Instead of numbing my skin, it only heightened my senses. How could lips that had once spoken such harsh words to me that shattered my heart now be so soft and bringing me such joy? It made no sense, but I was sure glad it was this way now. I kissed him back just as tenderly, leaning into him. He placed his hands on my hips, pulling me into him. Those hands, oh, those hands! They were firm and strong. There were the bringer of death to many a Strigoi. Those hands had brought suffering to so many. Yet right now they felt smooth and sensual. It felt like his hands brought the breath of life to my hips. Suddenly, I felt bare, like half of me or more was dead. Not enough of me was touching Dimitri. He was still kissing me tenderly, taking his own sweet time.

 _Fuck this._ I flung myself on him, wrapping my legs around his waist. He caught me easily, as if I weighed nothing. His embrace was tight, holding me to him as if he were afraid I would fall. Which was not the case, not the way I was clinging onto him. Our kiss deepened, becoming more desperate. He moved us over a little and pressed me up against the wall. God, I loved that feeling. I felt restricted, yet closer to Dimitri, as if more of my body were touching him, coming alive.

His lips broke away from mine, and I suddenly felt bereft. I wasn't thinking clearly, I was still feeling intoxicated from being around him. God, what did this man do to me? His lips brushed against my neck and I stiffened as I let out a nearly inaudible gasp. I leaned my head back against the wall as my hands flew into his hair. He began kissing my neck with more ardor, adding in some nips and sucking. I began moaning softly. Every time he heard one, he would change tactics on my neck. My neck was alight with sensations, feeling so alive that it could jump off my body. With every moan I made, I could feel a pressure building behind his pajama pants. My-oh-my did it feel good against my crotch. I grinded myself against his building bulge. It was his turn to emit a moan. I leaned my head back down and our eyes met. His were dark, full of emotion and lust. I nearly came unglued from that one stare. Our lips crashed upon each other's desperately, as he started pulling at my shirt. Our lips had to part just long enough to rip my shirt over my head before they frantically collided again.

His hands gripped my hips again, pushing me against the wall harder as he kissed me deeper. It was as if he was trying to pull me into him; as if he needed us to become one being. I felt the same way. In this moment, I knew that he could never be close enough. His hands started sliding up my skin, alighting every inch on fire. Figurative fire at least, since Dhampir's couldn't wield magic. Both hands reached my breasts, and started massaging them, grabbing them whole-handedly. I moaned into his mouth. My whole body was tingling with desire, my core burning. Yet again I was amazed how he could affect me this way. How could Dimitri even be real?

I started squirming, which was effectively grinding myself into Dimitri's crotch even more. I knew I was already wet, my body was already prepared for him. I think he could feel the heat radiating from my core, because he growled into my mouth. His hands reached behind me and deftly unhooked my bra. Our kiss never broke for that article of clothing. Between the two of us, we removed it within seconds. It flew somewhere into the room. I was sure I could find it later, but it was the last thing on my mind now. All I could focus on was Dimitri and the way he made my body feel. Nothing else in the world mattered. Nothing else existed. His hands were back on my breasts again. One hand was massaging the entire breast, the other hand was slowly manipulating just the nipple. I moaned and bucked my hips into him. My breasts were more tender than usual. My nipples were rock hard, protruding out into his touch. Suddenly Dimitri paused our kiss, looking down at my breasts puzzled. My body was burning, and I was confused. _Why did he stop? What could be wrong?_ He squeezed both breasts whole-handedly.

"Are your breasts-" He paused, still seeming puzzled. "slightly larger?" I was shocked.

"What? Why would they be larger?" I asked, trying to figure out what kind of question was that. He touched my body every day. Why would my breasts suddenly change?

"I don't know, but I like it." He whispered thickly, his eyes dark with lust again. He suddenly gripped my ass, pulling me further up his body. My legs were now wrapped around his mid torso. I could feel those abs rubbing against my clit through my clothes. My body had become more sensitive. He still had me pressed up against the wall as his lips came in contact with one of my nipples. I gasped loudly. If my breasts were larger, I hadn't noticed yet. But I could tell that Dimitri really liked the idea as he suckled, licked and gently nipped them. My hands were running through his long hair, my head laid back against the wall. Whichever breast his mouth was neglecting, one of his hands was massaging it, or gently squeezing the nipple. I couldn't help but whimper and moan in pleasure. My breasts were more sensitive today than ever before. Maybe my increased sex life had made them that way? His free hand traced down my stomach and unbuttoned my black jean pants. _Yes. God yes, let's get those pants off of me._ I thought it, but was unable to form any words. My body was burning for Dimitri.

He slowly and teasingly unzipped my jeans, causing me to squirm against him. It only caused my swollen clit to rub against his abs, giving me no real release. He continued to make out with my breasts, much to my delight, as he slowly slipped my jeans and underwear down and of my ass. As much as I was enjoying being pushed up against the wall, I wasn't ready for him to put me down and I was pretty sure that he shared my sentiments. What happened next showed our strength and control over our muscles. I wrapped my arms back around my neck, and kept my arms rigid to hold me in the air against the wall as I unwrapped my legs from around his torso. He leaned into me, helping me stay lifted as he tore the rest of my clothing away from my body before guiding my legs back around him. With nearly effortless control, both of us slowly let me drop back into an easy position with my legs around his hips. My crotch, hot and ready, was less than inches away from his groin. My rock hard nipples were pressed against his chest, which only teased my body further. He was admiring my body, his eyes nearly black with desire. Like always, his eyes spoke a thousand words to me. I could see just how much he loved me, how much he desired me. I hope he could see the same in my eyes.

I pulled his heads towards me, desperately crashing my lips onto his. I wanted him - no, I needed him. My body was burning with desire and I needed him to release me, to release all this pent up passion I felt boiling throughout me. He moaned into my mouth, our tongues wresting each other. He purposefully pushed his crotch towards my burning center, the apex of my being. I moaned loudly as I felt how hard he was. I could feel him throbbing against my core. I was ready for him, so ready. I wouldn't have been surprised if his cotton pajama pants were becoming soaked. He moaned again. I needed him – I needed him now. I urgently tried to remove his pajama pants with my feet, and failed. He felt me squirming around him and couldn't help but pull back from our kiss and smile.

"Need help milaya?" he whispered thickly. _Fuck yes._ But the words stuck in my throat, I seemed beyond words at the moment, only animalistic grunts or moans. I nodded instead. While I clung to him, in one deft motion, he dropped his pants to the ground, kicking them away from us. I felt his manhood spring to attention, hard as steel. I moaned loudly as it hit my thigh. I started squirming, desperate to have it inside me. He was much longer than the average man, and certainly wasn't lacking in thickness. Out of curiosity one day, I had measured him. He was 10 inches long and nearly 8 inches in circumference. It made his body proportionate, since he was rather a large man with large, well trained muscles. He pressed himself against me, causing the head to hit the folds outside my center and then trail upwards and hit my clit. We both moaned loudly at the same time. He trailed my own juices across my body by the head of his pulsing member. He knew I was ready for him.

"What is it that you want, milaya?" He asked, his accent exceptionally thick in this moment of passion. He knew, as he always did, how much that affected me. I whimpered and try to squirm myself onto his cock, but he wasn't having it. We both knew that in this instant, he was in control. Here was my alpha male taking control over me. He started rocking his hips backwards and forwards, causing his thick cock to seesaw across my clit. My body tensed, begging for more, but it was enough to get my voice working.

"You." I finally managed to moan out. He wasn't satisfied with this answer. He allowed the head to find the wet portal that entered into my center again, but again refused to push forward into it. Instead he pushed up again, teasing my clit further and spreading my juices around.

"Tell me what you want, Roza." He demanded thickly, his lips next to my ear. I was shivering in excitement. How could this man affect me so much?

"I need you inside of me." I moaned out, managing to make myself louder this time. I noticed my voice came out breathless sounding. I could feel him smile. He slowly pulled his turgid cock backwards, the head at my soaked entrance once again.

"Is this where you want it?" He asked roughly, making his member pulsate once again. I knew he was dying to be inside me just as much as I was. I nodded. _God, yes. I needed him inside me._

"Tell me, Roza. I want to hear you say it." He growled out. I tried to squirm myself onto him, anything to get him inside of me, but he was in perfect control. He wouldn't go any further until he got want he wanted.

"I – I want you inside my pussy. I need you." I managed to whimper out again. I was at his mercy. My body was on fire, and I needed release. I felt his cock pulsate harder, obviously liking hearing what I had said. He got what he wanted. He growled possessively while thrusting himself into me in one fluid plunge. I cried out in pleasure. My body had been more than prepared for him. Now that my core had been pierced, I could feel my juices running down onto him. I felt completely full. He stretched me more than I ever imagined possible. It was a feeling of real satisfaction. Now that he was inside of me, I felt closer to him, which is what we had both been desiring. I felt myself clench down on him just thinking about it. He growled again, pulling nearly completely back out, before thrusting himself back inside of me, coated even further in my ample essence. I needed him, I needed to release all this passion boiling within my body. He was the only way I could get the release I needed. _My Russian God._

"Please Dimitri. Don't stop-" I managed to choke out. That was all the encouragement he needed. He grabbed a fist full of my long almost black hair near the scalp close to the base of my neck. He pulled back and thrusted into me harder, causing me to cry out in pleasure again. This time he didn't hold himself inside of me like he had before. He immediately began pistoning himself in and out of me. I continued crying out in pleasure, all of a sudden glad to have a more secluded room. Had I ever been this loud before? I wrapped my legs against him tightly, trying to pull him deeper into me. With every movement I made to help him, he growled out in appreciation. He moaned along with me to every thrust of his hips. I was so full of him, my center felt so stretched. So wonderful. _So, so very wonderful._ I could feel my climax growing inside of my gut, the pressure building up. I could feel his steely member pulsating inside of me.

All of a sudden, he grabbed my legs, throwing them over his shoulders, holding onto my hips. He wouldn't let me fall, but it put me in a very precarious situation. I was crunched up against the wall. I felt so high off the ground, almost like I was flying. It only added to my pleasure, feeling erotic to not be grounded. He thrust into me again while into this position, and I felt him going even deeper than before. I screamed out in pleasure. It felt like he was touching places he had never touched before, and my god it felt amazing. I was being stretched in a completely new way. My scream only urged him on further. He continued faster and harder. I knew it would only be a matter of time before I orgasmed. My arms were wrapped around his neck. Our eyes were connected. His were black with desire. We were both sweating, but we felt so amazing. I couldn't stop looking into his eyes. They said a million things. How much he wanted me. How much he desired me. How much he loved me. Staring into each other's eyes made it even more erotic, and intimate. I couldn't hold out much longer. My body began to shake as I tried to hold it back. I didn't want it to end just yet.

"Dimitri, I'm going to-" I started, but couldn't finish. I screamed at the top of my lungs as my orgasm ripped through me. I know I clenched down onto him harder than I had ever before. My body was shaking violently as I rode out my climax.

"ROZA." I heard him scream as he came inside of me after my walls clamped down on him. I could feel him pulsating inside me, blasting me full of his thick, hot seed. It made me feel even more full as I continued to ride out my orgasm. I was glad that we were both Dhampirs and we didn't have to worry about birth control. It would have sucked to have a condom between us. I loved feeling him au natural. As I had came, my eyes had moved back into my head, but now they sought out Dimitri's eyes. He was still watching me, regarding me with a look of awe. He finally noticed the precarious position I was currently curled up in, and let my legs down. I let them wrap back around his waist. He was still inside of me, but it felt right for him to be there. It felt complete. We started kissing lovingly, letting his member gradually shrink within me. After it finally shrank enough to fall out, he finally let my feet touch the floor again. My legs felt weak and shaky. I noticed then that his legs were soaked.

"What's that?" I asked. He followed my eye sight, raising an eyebrow.

"That was you, milaya." He whispered huskily, obviously fond of the memory.

"Me? How did I do that?" I asked, noticing there was also a small puddle on the floor. He kicked his pajama pants over the puddle, letting them soak it up.

"You didn't realize that you squirted for the first time?" He asked, answering my question with a question.

"I did what?" I exclaimed, not quite realizing that that was a thing. His face softened.

"Yes, Roza, that's your cum." He whispered seductively. "It was so hot. I never knew you – I'm just going to have to make you do it again, and again." He growled, obviously turned on. I could see him start to grow again. He pulled me back to him, kissing me deeply. I didn't know that I could squirt, but I was glad he seemed to have enjoyed it. Maybe because he realized that he had caused it. I certainly hadn't realized that it was happening. Though I did know that had been one of my biggest orgasms ever. I pulled back from his kiss.

"Maybe we should christen the bed this time, you know, break it in." I teased. His eyes darkened with lust at the thought.

"Yes. Yes we certainly should." He growled. He picked me up, and carried me over to the bed. He laid me onto it, laying himself on top of me as he kissed me. My body was quickly responding to his touches all over again. All I knew was that my Russian God was ready for round two. I knew it was going to be yet another long night, and I certainly hoped that Lissa couldn't hear us.

~~~End of Lemony Goodness~~~

Please Review and let me know what you thought!


	6. Chapter 6 Five more minutes

Author's Note:

My chapters may be shorter throughout the summer. As much as I enjoy writing longer chapters, I know I will probably be busy. I don't think I have a lot of fans out there, but I don't want to really lose the ones I have ^.^ Maybe it will give me some chances to rack up a few more reviews to see if people like the story. It's a compromise. I'll keep updating, although the chapters will be shorter, and you guys review ;) I really don't want to take a hiatus for the summer.

Chapter 6

Dimitri had quite a time waking me up that next morning. I was exhausted and sore. It was definitely sore in a good way though. My center was sore from being stretched so well by Dimitri, and my body was sore from the amazing positions he had put me through last night. I knew that we each had jobs to accomplish today, but that didn't make it easier to wake up. With all the sex we have been having lately, it must be depleting my energy levels. I haven't always had such a hard time getting out of bed, but then again, I hadn't always had a Russian god exhausting me in and out of bed.

"Five more minutes." I grumbled, pulling the covers over my head. They made me feel like I was sleeping on a cloud.

"That's what you said five minutes ago." He countered, yanking the covers away. He was fully dressed already. It was apparent that this wasn't the first time this morning that we had this conversation.

"Ten more minutes then." I said yawning and pulling the pillow over my head. Several minutes passed, and I thought Dimitri was going to give me more time to rest. Maybe he would tell Lissa I wasn't feeling well. I didn't care, I was starting to fall back into a peaceful slumber. All of a sudden I felt arms around me, and I was soaring the air. I let out a little unexpected shriek. Dimitri held me close, and I felt his bare chest as he carried me somewhere. I wasn't sure where we were going, I was still too groggy. My mind was working slowly, and my eyes were having a hard time focusing because it was so bright. Why couldn't it still be dark so I could continue to sleep? All of a sudden a thought occurred to me. Hadn't Dimitri already been dressed? Why had he taken his shirt off? Seconds later I had my answer. I shrieked again as water started cascading down our bodies. The water was cold too.

Our new accommodations had a master bedroom with a bathroom attached, along with a guest bathroom located elsewhere. The master bathroom had a huge tub, big enough for two people, along with a walk in shower that could also accommodate more than one person. Apparently in the few minutes I had been lulling myself into a false sense of security, Dimitri had stripped off his clothing and come to turn the shower on. He had carried me right into the walk in shower, drenching both of us.

"Holy shit!" I shrieked, fighting to get out of his hold. This wasn't a very nice wake up call. My body was shocked, and I was pissed. In the midst of me fighting to get away from him, he calmly placed my feet on the tiled shower floor.

"It's about time you're awake." He said quietly. I glowered at him. I was directly under the stream of water now, facing Dimitri. He was still getting sprayed, but much more sporadically than I was. My hair was soaking wet and hung heavily on each side of my face. I continued to glare at him, not breaking eye contact, as my saturated pajamas clung tightly to my body. I had chosen to put on a white nightgown last night, and I was sure that it was currently see through. What an unplanned added bonus for Dimitri. This thought only made me angrier. My rage continued to rise when he finally broke the eye contact and his eyes scanned my wet figure. I could tell he liked what he was seeing, and I wasn't happy about it.

"There are other ways to wake up a woman than by being an asshole." I spat. Instead of being insulted, he seemed amused.

"You spurned every other attempt to awake you this morning." He said softly, with a smile in his eyes.

"What attempts? I only remember the one a few minutes ago, and this one." I asked, accusatorily. He chuckled, which didn't make me feel any better.

"I've been trying to wake you up for an hour Roza. You even pushed me away when I tried to rekindle our passion from last night." He said, his eyes twinkling. Now I certainly hadn't remembered that. A confused look must have crossed my face, because Dimitri chuckled again. Had I been that exhausted? It wasn't uncommon for us to have morning sex. It's the best way to start any day after all. It always seemed to leave me in an excellent mood. But what happened this morning? Dimitri slowly lifted his hand up to my cheek, caressing it. He continued to gaze down at me lovingly. I could slowly feel that rage melting away with each droplet of water that was hitting my head and back. Let's face it, I was basically being pelted by a waterfall every second. He reached behind me and turned the water up, making the water assaulting me become warmer by the second. I realized then that I had basically been shivering. The cold water had woken me up, and chilled me to the bone. Now my body was growing warmer, and I could feel the electricity radiating from where Dimitri was caressing my cheek.

"You realize that I'm going to have to get you back for this shower stunt." I stated, giving him one of my flirtatious smiles. That earned me back one of his genuine full smiles.

"I would expect nothing less." He murmured before bowing his head down, gently pressing his lips against mine. I could feel the electric current sparking between our lips, it was like receiving a jump start. Those lips were the road to my salvation. It took only seconds for such an innocent kiss to get hot and heavy. My body had be soaked due to the shower, but now it was my center that was awakening and moistening. My body could recognize Dimitri anywhere. My arms flew around his neck, pulling him closer to me. Would I ever be able to get enough of this man? It didn't take much urging for him to press himself against me. We backed up against the side wall in the shower. My white nightgown offered little resistance between us, and moments later Dimitri was pulling it over my head and throwing it on the ground. Our lips crashed together once again, and this time my skin was against his. It felt so sensual, so raw, so amazing. Before my mind could completely clog with lust, I remembered my responsibilities.

"Aren't we going to be late?" I asked, panting from our deep kiss. His eyes were still sparkling, and he smiled at me.

"I texted Lissa before I took you into the shower, telling her that we were going to be late." He whispered into my ear, his body pressed against mine. I could feel his excitement, which only caused my body to burn with a deeper intensity. I couldn't help but grin widely back at him before our lips crashed upon each other again. We didn't have long, but we had enough time to sate our lust for each other.

Oooooo000oooooO

When we finally made it downstairs, we found that Lissa was in the dining room, eating her breakfast. After a trip to the kitchen, I found a personal chef who was waiting for us to arrive in order to cook our meals. I just thought I would grab a banana or something. Apparently, that wasn't going to be the case. Lissa looked pleased when I came back out and sat down next to her. For now this was acceptable behavior. Guardians were currently lining the walls. Lissa was safe enough. By sitting next to her, someone would have to go through me to get to her. Lissa had wanted me to sit next to her. She had also been the one to order the chief to cook for us as well. We were best friends, so I should have been surprised. I guess I had just thought that things would change more once I was an official Guardian. In guardian training, it was customary for groups of guardians to keep eyes on each other and use eye contact to relay certain signals like all clear, stay vigilant, or danger. I found that no matter who I looked at, no one would actively look at me. The troubled look on Dimitri's face seemed to be saying the same thing. Christian was also at the table, eating his breakfast with Lissa.

"So it was a good thing I informed the guard about ignoring certain sounds coming from your suite. Apparently one of the guardians wanted to break in last night to check everything was alright." Lissa said energetically, with a wide, knowing smile. I couldn't help myself, I blushed. Glancing over at Dimitri, I think he had blushed as well.

"So, um – I guess the walls aren't more soundproof than those in my last building?" I said, stumbling through the wording a little, my cheeks still flushed. Lissa and I didn't really talk about my sex life much. She laughed at my comment openly.

"Either that, or you're just that loud." She teased, thoroughly enjoying the subject.

"From what I heard the guardians saying, Dimitri really ran her through the ropes last night." Interjected Christian. I shot him a snide look. I wasn't pleased about his eagerness to help Lissa in this moment.

"Just wait, my goal is to keep Christian up all night. I guess we will have to be louder next time, right Dimitri?" I said sweetly, looking at my boyfriend. Dimitri chuckled, while the color drained out of Christians face. It was obvious that he didn't really want to hear that. Looking up, I finally caught the eye of one of the guardians I knew well. He blushed and immediately looked away. It finally dawned on me what the problem was. Many of them had apparently heard Dimitri and me, so they couldn't look us in the eye. For some reason, I found that exceptionally amusing.

It didn't take much longer for the chef to deliver Dimitri's and my food. After eating, both of us assumed more normal guardian duties. Christian had some of his own errands to run, so Dimitri and I parted ways. It's not like it was bothersome, we didn't need to spend all day together. Lissa had several Queenly duties to fulfill, so I was left alone with my own thoughts. I couldn't get the attack out of my mind. We knew with utmost certainty that there were dissidents willing to kill in order to upheave Lissa from her throne. I had no doubt in my mind that they wouldn't be dissuaded from attempting assassination. Lissa was my charge to protect. It was more than that though, she was my best friend. Her safety was at the top of my priority list. The problem that was currently bugging me had to do with Lissa's security. We had hidden Jill, but we couldn't do the same for the queen of our society. Lissa had plans to attend Lehigh University, but it was hardly one of the secure University Campus's that Moroi usually attended. I knew she had her sights set on receiving her degree however. She wasn't going to let being a queen keep her from higher education. Finally, that evening, I had a chance to address Lissa on the topic.

"Hey Lissa, do you have a moment?" I asked, pulling myself off the wall. She looked up, smiling.

"For you? Always. You may be a guardian now, Rose, but you will always be my friend, my advisor, my confidant." She said, moving aside the paperwork she had been focusing on so diligently. I knew she was working hard to get the ball rolling on the quorum law. I fully appreciated my special guardian/advisor tactic. It had probably been quite a long time, if it had ever happened, that the best friend of the Queen was a Dhampir.

"I have some – security issues I would like to talk to you about." I said with a brief pause in the middle. It didn't escape my notice that several guardians in the room shifted uneasily. I hoped I hadn't offended them, as if they weren't good security; or maybe they shifted uncomfortably because I hadn't addressed these 'security issues' with people in charge of security. Lissa nodded, looking at me expectantly. "You know the current situation as well as I do, Liss. There are people out there right now with radical ideas willing to kill in order to get you out of office. I don't feel like Lehigh is a secure enough environment until we can get this situation under better control." I finally continued, knowing she wasn't going to like what I had to say. I was right. She looked like I had just slapped her in the face.

"So what, you want me to live my life in fear? You think I should just give up my dream of a College education until it is **safer** for me? I may never be safe again!" With each word, her anger seemed to increase, as did her volume. I began to wonder how much spirit was affecting her. I could no longer take the darkness from her. I hated not being able to help my best friend fight her demons that way. I still felt at a loss due to our broken bond.

"No Liss, listen to me. I know you're always going to be a target. I've been thinking about this all day. I know you can't put your life on hold indefinitely. But I also can't let you just risk your life nonsensically. Once your reign isn't as threatened by this quorum law, your life will be more stable. The dissidents may grow accustomed to your rule and the threat may lessen. Until then, I don't think you should physically attend Lehigh, but that doesn't mean I think you should give up on your dreams either. I think you should change your schedule and find online classes. That way you are still working toward your goals, yet we can still keep you safe. It's a compromise. Next semester if things have settled down, then you can attend in person. We can cross that bridge when we get there." I said fervently, looking her directly in the eyes. She didn't respond right away. She looked down, although her thoughts were turned inwards. I could tell she was turning over the thoughts in her head. "Please Liss, do this for me. Take some core classes online, and stay here. I don't want to lose my best friend." I continued, hoping to drive my point home. She looked back up at me. I ardently wished that our bond was still in place. I had been so used to hearing her thoughts, knowing her mind. I almost felt isolated from Lissa. We could be sitting right next to her, but I was used to being more intricately linked to her. I felt like I lost part of myself. She finally swallowed hard.

"Alright. I'll – I'll look into online courses. I'm sure this quorum law could get changed faster if I am here to work on it than being away at Lehigh. This hasn't been easy on any of us." She said quietly, as if still lost in her own thoughts. I knew Lissa had a lot to handle. Not only was she Queen of the vampiric world and had to run our society, she has to deal with being in a dying family. The weight of her family heritage rest on hers and Jill's shoulders. Not only does Jill add to her list of things to deal with, but Christian and school. I can only imagine the amount of pressure she is currently under at the moment. Lehigh might have been an escape for her, but it was a risk I couldn't let her take just yet. Lissa is my best friend, and there was no way I was going to let her be in excess danger, if I could prevent it.

The rest of the day went smoothly, and soon we fell into a routine. Dimitri and I spent every night together. During the day we worked our separate duties, although sometimes we got to spend time together. I had to keep reminding myself to stay vigilant. There are dangers out there, Strigoi and Moroi.


	7. Chapter 7 Poetry in Motion

Chapter 7- Poetry in Motion

The next several weeks flew by in a rush. Every day seemed routine. I woke up next to the love of my life, exhausted. When had sleep stopped being restorative? Mornings were one time of the day where we could prove our love for one another, along with our nighttime rituals. Most of the day we played rigid guardians in the room, although Dimitri and I did have more leeway than other guardians. We were both considered confidants. But when we left our suite each morning, we both attempted to be professional. There would be times where we slipped up though, including stolen kisses in a hallway, or me intruding in the men's restroom. None of the other guardians seemed to mind when we occupied a stall for a while. It made me feel a little wild, something I needed to feel. I hated it, but I had begun to feel restless. We were safe, yes, but that meant there was no action happening. Sneaking off and breaking some tiny rules allowed me to temporarily quench this dissatisfied feeling in me. It's not that I wasn't happy with where I was or who I was with. I had always wanted to be Lissa's guardian, and I was pleased being in that position. I was also content being with Dimitri. There was just this feeling of restlessness growing inside of me. I am a person of action. It fueled my soul, and sitting around calmly wasn't something I was good at.

It didn't help that I followed Lissa around all day. Either she was working on her college homework, working on moving the laws, or in meeting with delegates of power. Lissa was a mastermind in working the nuances of the system. She would meet privately with people, make them feel heard and special. It was something that was endearing her to almost all who met her. They realized she cared about her position, and the responsibilities it carried. She honestly felt like it was her duty to serve all of her people, which made her multitask to the max. There were also parties, but not really the fun kind. Yes there was drinking, but the parties were always full of prim and proper royals. They were nearly always drinking and conniving for the best position of power. These people sickened me. I always had the privilege of playing near guard during these events. I suppose it is an honor escorting Queen Vasilisa Dragomir, monarch of the Vampiric world. Lissa would have fun and dress me up, but it meant I also got to stay by her side in the most boring of conversations. I was feeling edgy. I needed a good Strigoi attack or something to spice up my life, although I didn't want Strigoi anywhere near Lissa. Both Lissa and Dimitri seemed to be able to perceive my restlessness.

Lissa attempted to help by putting me in charge of some training exercises with the Royal Guard. No one in the security department wanted us to get rusty. We had to keep calm but perpetually be on guard as well. Lissa had hoped that overseeing these trainings would burn off some of the restlessness I felt. In some ways, she was right. I pushed these training sessions hard. Everyone in the Royal Guard needed to be able to take the heat. There was no way I was going to go easy on anyone who was part of the Queen's special force. As far as I was concerned, she deserved the best of the best. I was ruthless. My philosophy was if they couldn't keep up hopefully they would learn from the experience and do better next time. During these classes, I would choose the hardest opponent each time and spar against them. I always hoped for a good fight. Many didn't have as many molnija marks as I possessed, which gave me a certain amount of experience. It gave me an evident edge over my opponents. In the total scheme of things, I lost very few times. The few occasions where I wasn't victorious, I almost felt better. It made me feel like there were still people who could help keep me on my toes. That feeling would vanish when I would beat them the next time. It only added to this feeling of discontentment I had been feeling lately. I was getting the reputation as a bad ass guardian, but also as a royal bitch. I pulled punches for no one. This last week, Dimitri had taken time to come and watch these training exercises. It was truly helping to keep the Royal Guard on their toes so we didn't get rusty. They were improving, but so was I.

Today in particular, I was acutely frustrated. No one had beaten me in a while, which was causing me to act like a substantial bitch. I wouldn't dismiss the class, even though the practice had ran over significantly. We were all sweating up a storm, but I felt like there was some milestone they just weren't getting. I was sparring with one guardian in particular whom I had a lot of trouble with lately. _Why can't he just fucking learn? We have gone over this move a million times, and I can still beat him with it over and over._ The way I was running him ragged today, and not pulling my punches, I knew he would be sporting bruises from me tomorrow. If he would learn this move though, he wouldn't have visible marks from me. I wasn't holding back. A Strigoi wouldn't hold back.

"Rose." It was one word, and it was spoken from across the room. It wasn't even spoken loudly, but I knew who it was coming from. Everyone heard it. It had been dead silent in the room except for the grunting of sparring, or my commands. No one dared to speak while I was in this agitated mood. No one except for Dimitri. I disengaged my opponent before I looked up at him. The guardian seemed extremely relieved to be getting a break. Dimitri had taken the look as consent to walk across the training room floor. Everyone seemed to stop when they saw Dimitri. His presence demanded respect.

"Did I tell you to stop?" I barked at the room, louder than I needed to. Even I had to internally admit that I sounded extremely bitchy. Everyone stiffened and went back to sparring, although they were all still trying watch us along with their opponents. Dimitri walked up to me, sporting his natural graceful gate. He was looking down at me, the fondness he has for me showing in his eyes.

"Did you realize that you have ran this class over an hour past normal?" He asked, a knowing glint in his eyes. He knew me well. I glanced back at the clock. I shrugged as if it were no big deal, but I was antsy per usual as of late.

"We will finish off when everyone gets this move down." I said in a voice of forced casual. By the look in his eye, he knew exactly what was going on.

"If I had trained you like that, then you would have died the first week." He said teasingly, with a small amount of laughter in his voice. It only made my body stiffen, as if he was mocking my training techniques.

"It's a move they should have mastered already. Most of them already have it, there is just a few who need to catch up." I said, crossing my arms in a protective stance.

"They aren't going to be able to complete it if they are exhausted Rose. Give them a break, let them prove themselves to you next session." He explained.

"This group should be the most elite fighting force in the world, they should already know these moves." I said huffily. "Lissa deserves the best." Dimitri usually had a calming effect on me, but not tonight. I was itching to fight again, my body wanting to twitch in anticipation. I hadn't gotten my fix yet, and I needed to relieve this restlessness.

"This isn't about Lissa-" Dimitri started, but I interrupted him. He had just flared my temper that had been so easy to ignite lately.

"Of course it's about Lissa. What else would it be? There are tons of people out there trying to kill her. Not only do Strigoi want to kill her to wipe out her Royal line, but there are also Moroi trying to assassinate her now that she's Queen. We have proof of that. She deserves and needs the best protection we can offer her." I said icily. I was ready for this conversation to be over.

"We both know this is about you. You've been easily agitated lately, and now you're taking it out on them." Said Dimitri, taking a step towards me and casting his voice low. When he said the word 'them', he gestured to the rest of the class who were sparring. I raised my chin up at him defiantly before speaking.

"Maybe I wouldn't be agitated if they could beat me more often than when they get a lucky break." I said, raising my voice a little. There was that temper again. _You're being a bitch again._ Dimitri's eye brow rose in one of those iconic Dimitri expressions.

"Is that what this is about? You want a good match?" He said, pausing before continuing. I narrowed my eyes at him, not agreeing. In this moment, I didn't like that he could read me that well. "Alright. Dismiss the class and I'll spar with you." He said simply. I cocked my head to the side, interested in the idea, but not wanting to give in too quickly.

"That doesn't help them learn the move." I said, in my still bitchy tone.

"They will be able to rest so they can pick it up next time. They'll learn nothing while exhausted. Dismiss the class and then I'll give you the fight you need." He reiterated. I couldn't admit it aloud, but he was right. Exhaustion wasn't going to help them learn better. Plus, I knew Dimitri had to skill to rival my own; it was just the challenge I had be yearning for. He smiled as he knew he had won. I glared at him a little before moving to face my class. He started slinking out of his brown leather duster. As I surveyed my class, I noticed that each sparring team was acutely aware of my presence.

"Alright, Stop." That was all I had to say for everyone to come to an abrupt halt. They were panting with sweat glistening off of their bodies. I was also sweating, although I hadn't worked quite as hard as they had. "You guys can take off of the night. Those who haven't learned the move we worked on today, need to practice it. Hopefully you can master it before our next session." I said, looking over all of them. They all seemed to be nodding in understanding, while trying to catch their breaths. "Dismissed." I said, with a tone of finality coating my voice. I watched them disperse, but they didn't actually leave. They were moving to the different walls around the padded room. I turned back to look at Dimitri, who was stretching. I watched as the Russian Dhampir battle god stretched out his long limber muscles. It almost made me smile, but I had put on my game face. Dimitri and I had become pretty well matched since I had first started training with him. I took this time to stretch as well. My muscles were already loose due to being in training for a couple hours already, but no need to take any chances. We were watching each other, not as two lovers watch one another, but as two rivals. Two equals. Dimitri smiled at me, and I tilted my head. I knew it was a confidence tactic he was using. Frame of mind could greatly affect one's ability to battle. If he could get my confidence to waiver, then it would give him an edge above me. _No such luck comrade_.

Dimitri rose and strode to the middle of the room. I followed him, allowing myself the chance to look around again. Not a single one of the guardians who attended the class had left. They must have heard the conversation between Dimitri and I. They wanted to watch the fight. I turned back to Dimitri who was watching me intently.

"I've been waiting for someone who can knock me on my ass, Comrade. Up for the challenge?" I said playfully, my body coiling in excitement. It had been too long since we had sparred together. A playful banter had always been a part of our training rituals. We hadn't even started yet, but I could tell this was exactly what my body needed. A good fight. A fight against someone who could really challenge me. A fight against Dimitri.

"You act like it would be a first time. I've pinned you to the ground more times than I could count." He shot back, smiling. He also looked like he was going to enjoy this.

"So that's your way of admitting you can't count very high?" I teased, my eyes shining. Yes. This is what I need, or it will be once the fight actually commences.

"No, that's my way of saying you're always on your back when it comes to me." He joked right back. I'm sure everyone in the room caught the double meaning. It was no secret that Dimitri and I were involved. I smiled, striding one step closer. That was my way of engaging the target. If he lunged, I would be in reach. I bent my knees, readying myself for action. I began to sway back and forth a little, feeling my opponent out, feeling Dimitri out.

We began to circle each other like lions, assessing each other's weaknesses. I knew he was much taller than me, which gave him an edge over me in general. But I knew how to counter that particular advantage. I also knew that he would be expecting those moves. He is also stronger than I am. That's not an implication that I am weak, but merely that men in general are able to house more muscle than women. This case was no different, and my Russian god holds plenty of strength in those muscles of his. I was definitely strong for a woman. I was also a slimmer target, along with being faster. I knew I could use his height and weight against him. He was looking at me in a similar manner, coming to his own similar conclusions. We had fought many times over the past year. We knew each other pretty well. Hell, he had taught me most, if not all, of my moves.

My body was tense, and ready for action, but it didn't drive me to move impulsively. I knew I would get the tough fight my body so craved. I was enjoying dragging it out, reveling in it. One thing Dimitri tried so hard to teach me over the year was patience. In this moment, you would have thought I was a perfect pupil. For wildly different reasons than at night in our private suite, Dimitri was the only one in the world to me. Nothing else existed.

When Dimitri took the first move, I was ready for him, evading effortlessly. It was now my turn to make a move, which Dimitri anticipated. It was like a carefully choreographed danced with series of attacks and dodges. It was like a game of chess, one move carefully planned after another. We were laying traps for each other, which led to us finally landing blows on one another. Although, that was just the beginning. Sweat was glistening off of both of our bodies, the moves we were executing were not easy feats. I felt like poetry in motion. Here was the fight I needed, the release my body so desperately craved. It felt like sex for a different part of my soul.

The room was silent, except for our panting and grunts as we executed moves and took strikes. I knew in no uncertain terms that this is what my body had been made for – fighting. It had been my life's calling to be a guardian. With a Strigoi, this would have been a dance of death. With Dimitri, this was a highly skilled recreational defensive dance. I could see the joy in his eyes as well. He knew and understood exactly how I was feeling. Our fates were intertwined, our bodies evenly matched for one another. He had taught me well, and I had been inspired to impress him. At this moment, nothing else mattered but my next move. I was tiring. No, we were tiring.

I had no clue how much time had passed. All that mattered was anticipating the next blow, although they were becoming harder and harder to evade. I noticed I was landing more hits on Dimitri as well. I knew that it was time to end this dance. It was time to decide who would become the victor. Both of our moves became riskier. With risk comes reward or failure. After one particularly risky move from Dimitri, I was able to throw him off balance and make him tumble to the ground. I immediately followed him, but was unable to successfully pin him. He managed to buck his hips upwards, a move I would have relished in the bedroom. It caught me off balance. It threw me to the right and forward by fractions of an angle. In one smooth motion, it allowed him to grab my wrist and continue that momentum, tossing me to the ground. Before I could react, he was on top of me, pinning my limbs to the floor. I tried to buck him off, as he had me, but it was unsuccessful. I continued to attempt to fight against him, to no avail. I looked up into his eyes, which were sparkling with desire. We were panting, and thoroughly saturated with sweat. I could feel his chest heaving for air on top of mine. It was a very comfortable weight on top of me. I didn't want him to move. We were still in our own little world. His face was inches above mine, and I wanted nothing more than transform this into a sensual environment. I could feel that passion burning inside of me. I knew part of me enjoyed being pinned down on the ground like this, helpless to his every whim. Dimitri knew it too. His eyes darkened as his desire grew, sending chills down my spine.

It was then that the clapping finally registered in my ears. Startled, I looked around. Dimitri seemed to have just now noticed as well. I suddenly remembered where we were, and who was watching us. Several of my students were striding over to us, offering their hands to help us up. As much as I wanted to stay under Dimitri, I knew I didn't want to be an exhibitionist under their watchful gazes. Both Dimitri and I allowed them to help us up. We were still breathless, but our eyes kept meeting. A thousand words were said in those simple gazes. I love you. I want you. I need you. Why can't we be in our bedroom right now? That was a great fight. I can't wait to take you to bed.

I registered that the 'students' in my class were gushing about our performance. I caught words like 'wow', 'fast', 'amazing' and 'again'. _Maybe I should be listening to what they are saying... Does that make me a horrible teacher?_ I shook my head, attempting to take in whole sentences. I caught Dimitri replying to one of the guardians in my class.

"I would love to join your training sessions as an advisory role under Guardian Hathaway, if she will have me. We will have to discuss it." He said, with a smile on his face. Of course, he was still winded, so it didn't come out as eloquently as it normally would have. I couldn't help but smile back. The other guardians relaxed. It didn't take much to recognize that my bitchy mood from earlier had dispersed. Earlier, it wasn't hard to perceive the dark cloud that appeared to have hovered over my every step. Now it was all blue skies, figuratively speaking of course.

The guardians in my training sessions seemed to have renewed vigor for the course. They seemed excited to learn. Maybe they hadn't been ecstatic to learn from someone who was younger than them. Dimitri and I had just proved our talent to them though, so now they seemed eager to soak up any advice we had to give them. We had to push them off until the next session though. I hoped they would display the same amount of enthusiasm in the future as they had at the end of this class.

That training session had been scheduled midday, while Lissa was locked up in her room working on her college courses. Throughout the day I could hear guardians whispering about Dimitri's and my fight. It brought a smile to my face. I felt more relaxed, better than if I had a deep tissue massage. So what if I was weird for being so relaxed by fighting. Most women, at least around here, wouldn't have even thought about fighting, none the less being relaxed by it. Of course, I also liked that my prowess as a guardian seemed to be a topic on everyone's lips at the moment. If people are going to talk about me, I'd much rather them be talking about the positives in my life, not that I actually care when they are talking about the negatives. It's just a nice change of pace. There were several points in my life where I would have laughed if someone had told me I would be a respectable guardian. Not very many people in my entire life had ever considered me respectable. Although, as my talents turned into achievements, it became much harder for my naysayers to put me down. Lissa had always believed in me, and Dimitri perceived my abilities early on. They were the cornerstones of my life. I wouldn't be where I am today without their support.

Later that night, Dimitri and I met up in our suite. I was sitting in the living room, waiting for him to finish his shift with Christian. Our shifts were often sporadic. Unlike other assignments, Lissa and Christian would often dismiss us while in the company of the many guardians of the Royal Guard. When Christian was on his own, then he was Dimitri's concern. Meanwhile, when Lissa was on the move, she often preferred me by her side. If she were locked up in her room working on one of her many responsibilities, she didn't feel the need to have me cooped up with her. This leniency was extremely uncommon throughout the guardian world. It made Dimitri and me special in yet another way.

When Dimitri walked in the room, he smiled at me. This had been how our day went, sneaking smiles at one another. He crossed the room with his ever graceful gate, and sat down on the couch next to me. Within moments I was in his arms. It was almost like we were magnets, drawn to each other. We could be separated, but we would always find our way back to one another. His touch was calming, yet at the same time it excited my body right down to my core. This man's affection caresses my soul. I am bonded to him in a different way than Lissa. Lissa is the closest thing I have ever had to a sister, and there was nothing that could replace her. Even though we were no longer bound by spirit, magic had never been our initial bond anyways. She was a permanent fixture in my life, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The bond Dimitri and I have is something completely different, although equally strong. He knew and understood me in ways no one else could compare. If I believed in soul mates, he would be mine. He was my other half, he completed me in ways I never knew I was missing. I, Rose Hathaway, was amazing by myself. But when I am with Dimitri, we become a whole other entity all together. Russian warrior god and American bad-ass superstar. A superstar because come on, let's be honest, my accomplishments have been circulating pretty well. It seemed everyone knew both my story, and Lissa's story.

Dimitri and I weren't kissing. It didn't take making out or sexual rendezvous to be intimate. We were in each other's arms, staring into each other's eyes as we caressed each other's skin. It felt relaxing. It just felt right.

"Do you mind, milaya, if I help you during your training sessions? I don't want to over step any boundaries." He said softly, never breaking our gaze. I couldn't help but smile. He should know I don't mind. Then again, it wouldn't be Dimitri if he didn't show such consideration.

"I would love your help, handsome. As a team, we seemed quite inspirational to those guys." I said, my smile never wavering. It would only give us more excuses to have matches like the one today. Sparring like that with Dimitri should keep me from being so uptight. No one likes it when Rose Hathaway has a stick up her ass.

Dimitri's hand moved to my hair, wrapping my ponytail around it. It allowed him to maneuver my head with ease, and he did. He pulled me closer and pressed my lips to his. The kiss was sweet and sensual. It was full of an emotion I could never have fathomed when I was kissing Jesse last year, or any other man before Dimitri. Nothing compared. Dimitri spoke to my soul in a way no one else could begin to comprehend. That kiss led to a night of sweet, passionate, slow love making. It expressed emotions we couldn't articulate. For lack of a better term, it was amazing.

Ooooo000ooooO

The next morning, after groggily being pulled out of bed by a stubborn Dimitri, Lissa called both of us to her chambers. Most of the time Dimitri and I would part ways. I would be on my way to Lissa, and he searching for Christian. Something was up, although I wasn't sure what it was. We found Lissa in her meeting room, surrounded by a laptop and masses of papers. She certainly had an early start this morning. She was sipping on coffee while fiddling with something I couldn't see on her computer. She looked up as we entered, as I was stifling a yawn. Yet again, I didn't want to wake up this morning. It was becoming my every day norm.

"Ah, there you are." She said, smiling at us. I mocked a horrific curtsey.

"Call, and we shall come running, your highness." I teased. She giggled, used to my sass by now. She beckoned us closer, offering us chairs.

"Now, you must be wondering what this is all about." She started. We nodded, and I bit off some retorts that found their way to the tip of my tongue. If this were something serious, I would hate to look insensitive. "Well, I have a favor to ask of you." She started yet again.

"Alight." I said slowly and warily. As our queen, she could order us around. What type of favor could she be asking of us?

"I need you to be my ambassadors to the keepers."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 **Yes yes, I'm mean because I left you in a cliffhanger of sorts. Not so bad though as cliff hangers go. This is just a baby one. What could Lissa want? Guess you'll have to find out in the next chapter. I went on a road trip and felt particularly inspired by the scenery. Could you feel my inspiration? Probably not.**

 **Please Review! Oh, and thank you to my loyal fans out there! I do appreciate you!**


	8. Chapter 8 Academy Girls

**Author's Note:**

I'm sorry it has taken so long to update. I wanted to re-listen to the part of the keepers in Last Sacrifice before actually writing this chapter, and I had been on been listening to the end of Shadow Kissed at the time. Yes, I have been listening to them as audiobooks lately. I can still drive and complete so many other tasks while reliving Rose and Dimitri's story.

In the meantime, I posted two real chapters on another Romitri story. I don't exactly recommend that you guys read it though, unless you are into extremely dark themes. The only reason I have brought it up is because after only two real chapters, it has more reviews than this story after seven chapters! Come on guys! ;)

Other reasons this chapter is late in being posted is being so busy this summer. We had my family reunion, immediately after that I had a personal emergency, and then I spent this last weekend with my cousin/closest thing I have to a sister at a horsemanship camp. She did win a belt buckle for being the most improved rider! Although I managed to stay out of the emergency room from my personal emergency, I'm still recovering from my incident. So thank all of you for your patience!

 **Chapter 8**

I was currently sitting in Lissa's meeting room next to Dimitri. Lissa had called for us, supposedly asking a favor of us, and ask us she did. These chairs, I realized, were extremely comfortable. It must be for the times people have been stuck in here for hours due to emergency situations. That or rich people just like to be spoiled. I was thinking about these things because what Lissa had asked dumbfounded me, which was saying a lot. It took quite a bit to catch me off guard. I, Rose Hathaway, was always ready with a witty quip. Well, almost always. It was Dimitri who spoke up.

"The Keepers?" He asked, seemingly confused as I was. Most people within our society didn't even know of their existence. That is how they preferred it, much like the alchemists. Once, not too long ago, Dimitri and I had been on the run. He had broken me out of jail after I had been framed for murdering the previous Queen. It had been an excellent frame job with all the evidence pointing my way. My defense of 'I wouldn't commit murder with so many flaws' hadn't been a very good argument. My friends feared my execution date for treason was fast approaching. Dimitri, with the help of my other friends which no one knew of their involvement, rescued me from that fate. Sydney, an alchemist who owed my father a favor, hid us with the Keepers. The Keepers were a group of Moroi, Dhampirs and humans who all lived together keeping the 'old ways'. They didn't have internet, electricity, or even plumbing. More importantly, they married and reproduced without prejudice. In our 'modern' society, it was unheard of for a Moroi to marry a human, but not among the keepers. They held no such qualms. I had been held, by the keepers, in somewhat in high regards for allegedly killing the Queen. What would they think of me if I ever went back? Not only had I been proven innocent of murdering the last monarch, I was best friend and personal guardian to the current monarch.

"Yes, I want to extend an olive branch out to them. They have been living in what is practically an exile for far too long. When I took my role as Queen, I wanted to do what is right for all my people. In my mind, that means everyone included in our races. It isn't my job to just look after the strong, or the easy, but everyone who is like us. These people are our brethren. They shouldn't be shunned to the outskirts of both our society and human society. They shouldn't be outcasts. It will take a lot of work for their – lifestyle to become accepted, but I believe that we can slip them into our mainstream society. It will take effort on both sides, but I am willing to do my part as long as they are willing to meet me halfway." She said regally, like the Queen she is. Coherent thoughts finally formed into sentences in my mind.

"Liss, you realize they don't like us, right? They consider us 'the tainted'. They condemn our society because we no longer follow the old ways. We don't marry or breed with humans, we no longer fight each other to prove worthiness to marry into each other's families, we no longer have fight to the deaths in order to prove which monarch should be ruling next, and we no longer fight together against Strigoi." I said, naming off only a few of the obvious differences I had seen during my stay with them. Her face paled when I had mentioned fights to the death, but lit back up with the thought of fighting together against Strigoi.

"I'm not saying it will be one society winning against another. We can't completely assuage one, and not the other. There will be compromises. Our society has become too placid in some ways and hostile in others. It may be a lost cause Rose, but I feel like we need to try. They could help us with the movement to teach Moroi how to fight. They could be the key." She started fervently. By looking at my face, she knew I was going to continue fighting, so she pressed on. "Rose, I can't send anyone else but you two. I thought about sending Christian along, but I'm afraid of how they would receive him. They already respect you. We can communicate back and forth using this satellite phone I have procured for you. If they are going to listen to anyone, it would be people they already have respect for. The least we can do is try." She finished. It was Dimitri who responded, beating me to the punch.

"I will go. My life is indebted to you, my Queen." He said stoically. The medieval vow he pledged to Lissa flooded back into my memory. It still left a bad taste in my mouth. We hadn't gotten past this already? Even though I knew it wasn't romantic, it still shot a pang of jealousy through me. At least now he wasn't spurning me like he had in the past. If he understood my current feelings, he didn't show it.

"Well, I can't let him go alone. Those women will swoon all over him. Plus, I was the one who had gained the most respect last time we were there." I finally said, bitterly. Dimitri either didn't notice, or pretended not to.

"That's because you had to fight since you encouraged Joshua, who ended up proposing to you." He said slyly, reminding me of my blunder. Lissa hadn't heard the story, and was suddenly very interested in proposals made to me. My love life was known for being rather complicated, not that Joshua had ever been in the running to become a contender in my love life.

Dimitri regaled Lissa the tale of Joshua's misunderstanding, and the physical fight it caused. Although I had been found worthy to marry Joshua, I did some fast talking to get myself out of such a mess. I internally groaned, realizing I would have to face Joshua again. Afterwards, Lissa took the time to catch us up to speed on her views, and what she wanted portrayed to the Keepers. I knew this was something where I was going to be keeping tight communications with Lissa. Negotiations were not exactly my specialty. After debriefing us, she dismissed us to obtain supplies, paid for by the Royal Court no less. The supplies were being held at Guardian headquarters, and we were to help ourselves to whatever we thought we needed.

Dimitri and I walked over to the guardian building in near silence. I was still perturbed with my Russian demigod boyfriend, and I assumed he was lost in thought. We had still fallen in step with one another. We were rhythmic, in sync. It was natural, like a dance we never stopped performing. We were about to walk inside the building when a mousy voice shattered our silence.

"Dimitri?" The voice was small, but confused and alarmed at the same time. As if still performing our subliminal dance, we turned in unison. It was a petite raven haired beauty, a Dhampir like us.

"Irina?" Dimitri asked, looking like he was seeing a ghost. Well, not exactly. I knew what ghosts looked like, and she certainly held none of the qualifications. Nonetheless, it was difficult to catch Dimitri off guard, and she certainly had. Something sent my senses on high alert. It didn't feel right to me. She was looking at him with a mix of confusion and awe. I was used to women either gawking at Dimitri, or admiring him from afar, but this was something different. There was something familiar in their gazes. She acted like she wanted to take a step forward, but hesitated. "What are you doing here? Last I heard, you were staying in Baia." He finished, drinking in the woman I now knew as Irina. I was right, they knew each other. Not that I should be surprised, it felt like Dimitri had met and had influence over everyone. The look she was giving him though, it was so much more than that. I realized now that amongst those other emotions, adoration was fervently mixed on her face. Her mind was racing.

"You're dead." She whispered, barely audible. Her eyes were unblinking staring up at Dimitri with his rather lofty height. She seemed honestly shocked to see him alive. "After I heard about your death, I rejoined the guardian ranks." She whispered again, her eyes never leaving Dimitri. Although her gaze was caressing his every feature. She was drinking him in, his being, his essence, his living existence. Dimitri on the other had seemed as if he were examining a reality of the past. He was lost at the moment, no longer with me in the present. This only added to my bitter sentiment.

"You never wanted the life of a guardian, protecting Moroi you never knew. You always wanted to settle down at home, raise a family." He commented softly. Yup, they were officially in their own little world. The brash part of my personality wanted to lash out and immediately have them acknowledge my presence. Patience had been a hard won virtue I had learned from Dimitri, one that was increasingly hard to abide by. Still, my curiosity won out. I wanted to see how this played out.

"You can't be here. They told me you died in the attack at St. Vladimir's Academy! I rejoined the ranks because of you! You wouldn't have died if there were more guardian numbers, if people like me were doing our jobs. But – You're not dead!" She was shouting now, and I was surprised when Dimitri closed the gap between them. I was shocked enough to just watch instead of act. He touched her arm in a comforting gesture.

"Do I look dead to you? The power of spirit, the rare fifth element, brought me back to life from a Strigoi state. I'm alive. You shouldn't have joined the guardian ranks just because of me. You need a better reason than that. You need a drive to protect others. It's a commitment. Someone's life is literally in your hand." He said softly. She was surveying his handsome facial features, wearing a look of adoration that I knew so well. She took his words like gospel, believing every word of them without doubt. Not that she should doubt Dimitri. It was the story of a miracle, not everyone believed it could be done.

"I should have been there. I should have your back so you're never left undefended." She whispered, shifting her weight onto her toes, leaning up towards him. That snapped me out of my voyeuristic phase.

"His back is never left undefended anymore, that position has already been filled." I said matter of factly. Her head snapped in my direction, just now noticing me for the first time. Dimitri, realizing what almost happened, took this chance to take a step back from Irina. She was inspecting me from head to toe, and apparently not happy at what she saw.

"And who are you?" She asked in a much colder tone than she used when addressing Dimitri. Dimitri realized he had been rude and not made introductions. While he started the motions of doing so, I interrupted him.

"My name is Rose. Rose Hathaway." I said confidently, taking a step towards both of them. I saw recognition in her eyes. Clearly she had been out of the loop enough to not know Dimitri had been restored, but she had heard of my reputation.

"So" She started, friction in the air. "You work with my Dimitri?" She asked. Both my eyebrows rose. I really wished I could do the cool one eyebrow Dimitri trick. _Her Dimitri?_ I couldn't help but smile. Oh how I was about to bust her bubble. Dimitri tried to interject. I stopped him, raising a hand in his direction.

"No, Comrade, I've got this. You could say that. We have two different assignments, but we work very close together most of the time." I said cooly, eyeing her like a cat eyes its' prey. I couldn't help but drag this out a little, making it worthwhile.

"Dimitri was assigned to the Academy." She simply stated. Her information was outdated, and I was enjoying that. The tension in the air was so thick, it could have been cut with a knife. Dimitri tried to answer, but I cut him off yet again. Part of me thought he knew he was in trouble.

"Not anymore. Although, that's where we met. He was my mentor. He taught me everything he knew, and I do mean _everything_." I couldn't help but supply her with a subtle wink. "After I helped restore him to a Dhampir, we became coworkers of a sort, and _so much more_." I said, smiling widely, enjoying teasing my prey. My words were overly sweet, coming out of my mouth smoothly. No one messes with Rose Hathaway – or her boyfriend.

"Irina, I'd like for you to meet Rose, my girlfriend." Said Dimitri, finally being allowed to speak. While talking, he snaked an arm around my waist. I shot him a glare. He intentionally messed up my game. I wanted to allow her to embarrass herself fully before I slammed her with the whole truth. The arm around my waist wasn't the romantic gesture that was projected to Irina, instead it was an action to hold me back from inflicting more verbal damage. She seemed surprised. Her hazel eyes widened, looking between Dimitri and I. "Rose, this is Irina. She was my first love." He said gently, more to me than to her. Irina seemed smug at being acknowledged as such. "We went to school together at St. Basils." He continued.

"Looks like you go for those academy girls." I teased, knowing our student mentor relationship was a sore spot for him. Irina didn't notice the dig, but Dimitri certainly did. He gave me a sidelong glance.

"Not really. He ignored most girls at school, we just happened to have a bond." Irina started. A bond? Why did she have to use that word? "We went to school together, lived in the same community. It wasn't difficult to fall in love." She said, looking up at Dimitri as if she regretted them having broken up. She was obviously still smitten. I could tell he had a soft spot for her, yet I knew it was nothing compared to relationship he has with me. I guess it wasn't easy to forget the first person you ever loved. I surely hadn't. I wasn't appreciative of how she was playing up their relationship though. It was something of the past, no reason to talk about it like it was the love affair of the century.

"Well, Dimitri is pretty easy to fall for. I know we couldn't stop the attraction between us even though we both desperately tried. In the end, we had to face the chemistry boiling between us. No matter the obstacles that have come between us, we have always found one another again." I said, surveying my Russian god, remembering the memories. He was looking at me too. He remembered as well, but I don't think he liked me shoving our relationship in Irina's face. She did start it though.

"So how long have you been together?" She asked curiously. This was a sore spot for me. We loved each other for a long time, but our relationship was complicated. We couldn't display it in front of others since I had been underage and he was my mentor. When he had been turned, that was like an ending point for us, or was it when I had tried to kill him? This was only part of why it was complex. I had started dating Adrian, who was alive instead of undead. Although nearly the entire time I was in a relationship with Adrian, I was working on an attempt to restore Dimitri to his former Dhampir self. After he was restored, it had taken time for Dimitri to really become himself again. At the time, I had still been dating Adrian, and Dimitri had spurned me initially. Of course, all that seemingly changed when I was framed for murdering our previous monarch. Slowly Dimitri and I started unburying his old feelings, even though I thought I had moved on. Complicated was apparently my life theme. In the major scheme of things, Dimitri and I hadn't been officially dating long, so many things had gotten in the way of our relationship.

"We've been attracted to each other a long time, but we have only been dating a few weeks." I said, hating to admit it. She looked smug, and happy. I knew that the limited time frame gave our relationship a weak outlook to someone who didn't know us as a couple. I knew she was wondering if we could wiggle her way in between us. _No luck Bitch._

"Rose and I actually have some guardian business to attend to. Will you be staying long at court?" Asked Dimitri, obviously trying to change the topic. This time I was grateful that his arm was still wrapped around me. My gut instinct was telling me there was something worrisome when it came to Irina. That arm showed support when it came to me instead of her. It was a subtle sign of our relationship. At the moment I was glad for such physical ties, although in general I was still annoyed with him. Although no matter how irritated I was with him, he was still _my_ Dimitri.

"I've been assigned here for now, but you know that can change at any time. You go where your orders take you." She paused, taking a moment before continuing. "We should get together sometime and catch up, hopefully before I get reassigned." She finished, flashing him a flirtatious smile. It was nothing like my man-killer megawatt smile, but not everyone had my gorgeous features. Like hell she wanted to just catch up, she wanted a date with my man. My body must have tensed, because Dimitri's arm around me tightened. It was subtle, but I could feel it. It was a small gesture that said a thousand things. I've got you. Trust me. I can handle this.

"Alright. I'm sure we can meet up for a dinner or something. Rose and I could use a night out anyways." He said, intentionally inviting me along. It eased the feeling coiling in my gut. Yes. Dimitri would never let me down. He had my back; he always would. He is my Dimitri, my boyfriend. He bid Irina goodbye, much to her distaste. We headed into the guardian headquarters with his arm still around me.

 **Sorry for the late update guys. I'll try to do better the rest of the summer : ) I hate letting ya'll down.**


	9. Chapter 9 Willing to Work

**Author's Note:**

Hey guys! I haven't given up on this story, so don't give up on me! As I predicted, it's been a busy busy summer. I've had my cousin for several weeks. She's the closest thing I have to a sister, and the summer is the only time I really get to spend time with her, so I haven't had a lot of time to write.

Please be patient with me, and I will keep trying to write as often as I can!

I hope all of you are having a great summer!

Thank you to all you lovely people who do review. I appreciate every single one of them. It lets me know that people still want me to update ^.^

 **Chapter 9**

I was yet again waiting in our suite for Dimitri to get back. I was currently sitting on the loveseat in the living room area, flipping aimlessly through channels on the TV. Nothing I found could keep my attention for long, but maybe that's because I was feeling restless. I've realized in the past several hours that I have been easily agitated lately. Was it a side effect of the bond breaking? Am I still feeling effects of spirit I accumulated before the bond broke? Was I like this before the bond was established and just not realized it?

After running into Irina, one of Dimitri's old flames, we had visited Guardian Headquarters to get supplies for our trip to visit the keepers. A trip that I was not happy to be attending, I might add. Dimitri, it seems, couldn't deny Lissa anything, no matter my distaste. Remembering how the women had begun eyeing Dimitri before we had left the keepers last time, I couldn't let him partake in this quest alone. It did not mean that I actually wanted to go. If I had my way, neither Dimitri nor I would be backpacking with the keepers. Most of the supplies were what one would need for camping. We decided on bringing our own tent, cots, sleeping bags, rations, along with everything else we thought we might need. I had even managed to find a battery powered fan along with a ton of batteries. Dimitri didn't seem pleased by my choice, but hey, if I was going to camp, I was going to camp my way. Most of the supplies were very practical. We also chose to bring rations of sorts. I was afraid if negotiations didn't go well, we would be on our own for food. I didn't really feel like hunting, even though it wouldn't surprise me if Dimitri could hunt and then clean animals as flawlessly as he seemed to do everything else. Was there anything he couldn't do? Well besides perceiving my distaste lately.

I returned to Lissa after we were done at Guardian Headquarters, after making sure the supplies would be taken to the SUV assigned for our journey. She had several errands she wanted to accomplish today before I left on my journey, or as I liked to view it, assignment. Dimitri had sent word, asking if I wanted to have dinner with Irina before we left, in case she was reassigned before we got back. _Oh, if only I were so lucky_. Knowing I would rather be with him than let him go alone, I agreed. However, Lissa's errands had taken a lot longer than planned. Begrudgingly, I cancelled with Dimitri and Irina, and let them dine alone. I knew Dimitri wouldn't let Irina do anything, but I wanted to keep an eye on her. I didn't trust her at all, not even one bit.

Unfortunately, that led to me waiting in our suite alone, waiting for Dimitri to get back from dinner. He was already later than I planned. Frustrated, I turned off the TV. My thoughts were keeping me too distracted to focus on the programs. What had gone wrong today? First Dimitri had volunteered us for this ridiculous adventure and now I was up late waiting for him to return home from a date with a previous flame. _Well, you were invited to go._ Stupid responsibilities had kept me from going though. _What's more important? Dimitri or Li-_ I cut myself off from continuing that train of thought. No way was I going to replay that old argument in my head. _They are both important to me_. I forced myself to think over and over again. I leaned my head back, closing my eyes, reiterating that mantra to myself over and over again.

The next thing I knew, I was being startled awake by the front door closing. I literally jumped off the loveseat, my muscles coiled to defend myself. I had fallen asleep on the couch, waiting for my boyfriend to come home. I heard his voice before I could shake off the grogginess and actually see him.

"Easy, milaya. It's just me." He said softly, his hands out towards me in a comforting gesture. I shook off the fatigue clouding my mind before snapping my gaze to a clock. It was late, really late. I stiffened, my eyes slowly making their way back to Dimitri. The look on my face must have said it all. I was mad, beyond mad. I couldn't believe he had done this. He had stayed out late with another woman. Not just any woman, but a woman I had made blatantly obvious that I didn't like. It would have been a different story if he was a single man, but he wasn't. At this very moment, he was still mine, for now. He read my facial features like a book. His face was full of concern and regret.

"Look, I'm sorr-" He started, but I wouldn't let him finish.

"No." I said, holding up my hands. I suddenly realized I didn't want to hear anything he had to say. Today had been a bad day, and this is how he topped it off. I suddenly didn't care what reasons or excuses he was about to feed me. He should have known better. I thought Dimitri knew me better than I knew myself. Maybe I was wrong? I abruptly turned my back to him, making my way to our bedroom. He followed me, trying to talk to me, but I cut him off every time. I had no interest in listening to him right now. He had fucked up, and I had no intentions of forgiving him at the moment. I didn't want to be near him. I didn't want to see him. I didn't even want to hear him breathe. I walked into our bedroom, grabbing a blanket. I threw it at him without even looking at him.

"You can sleep on the couch." I stated flatly without any emotion. I was done. I had my limit for the day.

"You can't actually make me sleep on the couch." He said, as if I were joking. Again, I had no inclination to want to fight with him. I just wanted to be alone. If I couldn't get that here, I would find somewhere else. If he couldn't give me the space I needed, I would find my own space.

"Fine." I said in an overly casual tone. I was still wearing my guardian attire from earlier in the day, my stake clearly hidden yet easily accessible on my body. It was my only comfort today. I grabbed a jacket and headed out the door without another word. Dimitri tried to follow me, but I had finally done something unexpected for him. We had been doing so well lately, he hadn't anticipated me to leave. He hadn't been prepared. I was able to run out of the building before he could catch up to me. I didn't know where I was running, but it felt cathartic. I could focus on the burning in my lungs for oxygen instead of the things I didn't want to think about. I could focus on how my feet felt when they pounded against the ground, driving my body forwards. I didn't know how long I ran for. It was late in our day, meaning the sun had already risen. It was beating down on me, but it felt good, purifying. It was as if the sun could keep at bay all of the negative thoughts that plagued my mind.

Before I realized where I was, my body had subconsciously taken me to where Dimitri had been interrogated about being a Strigoi near the church. I had been so upset afterwards. Dimitri had pushed me away after I helped him, and it crushed me inside. Part of me wanted to laugh at the similarities I felt. So maybe I wasn't crushed this time, but I still didn't feel right. Where had our synchronicity gone today? What could have gone so wrong?

I hadn't exactly stopped walking when I realized where I was. My feet kept moving. They took me to the church, the one building hosting a religion I still wasn't sure I believed in. Yet, it still felt like a good place. It gave off pure vibes. It felt safe.

I checked the doors. Surprisingly, they were open. I would have thought they would be closed this time of night. St. Vladimir's chapel certainly wouldn't have been accessible throughout the night. Then again, there was no curfew here. Adults could need solace any time. This was supposed to be a safe place, right?

I opened the door a crack, just enough to slip through. A quick visual sweep of the church showed me that there was one person in the building, a guardian. He was on duty here, which surprised me. I didn't realize that they patrolled the church at night. I guess if the priest was asleep, a guardian would be the next best thing to helping make someone feel better, or safe at least. Plus, if Strigoi ever did make it past the wards at court, the church was supposed to be a safe place. Strigoi could not enter holy ground.

The guardian gave me a slight nod, acknowledging my presence. I copied his gesture before shuffling into a pew. I hadn't come here to pray. Hell, I hadn't even come here on purpose. Yet, I still felt like this was a good place to be. I gently laid my head against the pew in front of me. Normal people would have been able to go to their friend's place when they had an argument with their lover. Not me. Lissa would have been an obvious choice. She was too close to where Dimitri was, and would have been the first place he looked. I could have tried to go to Mia's, but I couldn't even comprehend trying to wake her up in the middle of the night. We had become friends, but we weren't that close yet. That left me somewhere in the public domain, since I didn't have many real friends. This church was a better place than I could have hoped for. I didn't even really seek it out.

Once I felt like I really had escaped who I had been running from, Dimitri, I let my defenses drop. I could feel my shoulders physically slump. I was emotional and exhausted. I was suddenly transported back in time in my mind. I was seeing St. Vladimir's church after the Strigoi attack. I had been devastated at the time, advoiding Lissa. I was shocked and wrought with the desire to find out what happened to Dimitri. There had been so much turmoil in my soul. Although this time was very different than that time at St. Vladimir's, I had yet again turned to a church to help me with my feelings. I wasn't sure I believed in God, but this place certainly had a calming effect. If I had been in a different mood, I might have found it funny how I appeared in the church during both times of turmoil.

Now that I felt somewhat safe, I let my mind wander to thoughts I was keeping at bay. I felt like I had been in a rollercoaster as of late. Maybe my entire life was a rollercoaster. Some lows were definitely lower than others, the car crash, watching Mason murdered, Dimitri turning Strigoi, and being framed for the murder of the Vampiric monarch. Then there were the highest of high times, the cabin with Dimitri, my graduation trials, and regaining Dimitri's love. There were just run of the mill times too, but also medium highs and lows. My life was a series of bell curves. Although this might not be the lowest point in my life, I still felt lost. There was a minute voice in the back of my mind telling me that I might be over reacting, but I promptly squished it.

Not only had I had a bad day, I had resorted to one of my old defenses- running. I ran away instead of facing him. I ran away from the only place I could call home at the moment. It was a place Dimitri and I voluntarily shared, but it was ours. Part of me regretted not hearing Dimitri out, but I knew I didn't want to return to attempt it now either. I recognized that I would have to face him, especially since we were supposed to be leaving in the morning. I audibly sighed. Hadn't I matured over the years? Why would I run away again after coming so far in my life? Dimitri must be recounting some of his thoughts about me being childish or too young.

My brows creased as this thought occurred to me. Would he really think that about me now? Was I actually too young for Dimitri? I laid down in the pew, curling up into a ball. It was uncomfortable, but I didn't care. Actually, feeling uncomfortable felt right in its own way. I had thought that Dimitri and I were meant to be together. I knew though that there is no such thing as happy ever after. I realized that relationships took work that extended throughout our lifetimes. It couldn't be one sided. Both sides had to work in order for the relationship to succeed long term. _I'm willing to work for it,_ I decided. Subconsciously, I think it was something I always knew, but there was something concrete about consciously choosing to do it.

After my resolution, I relaxed on the pew. Worrying about tomorrow wouldn't help me tonight. With no other options to retire to for the night, I resigned myself to sleeping on a pew. It wouldn't be the first time. I had fallen asleep in the chapel after Dimitri had been bitten. Maybe time apart would do us some good. I tried to calm my mind so I could eventually drift off. This wouldn't be the weirdest place I had ever fallen asleep. I welcomed the foggy haze that led me to a slumber full of dreams.

~oooOO0OOooo~

I woke up feeling stiff the next morning. I shouldn't have been surprised. I slept on a wooden pew after all. But I could count with ease at least a dozen other places that I had fallen asleep that had been worse than a church pew. What did that say about my life? I shrugged it off, making my way out of the church and back to the palace building.

Luckily, I had woken up around the time I would have if I were sleeping in my own bed. It must have something to do with the natural clock inside my body. This meant that I actually wouldn't be too horribly late. I still had to make it to the palace before I could change clothes and officially get dressed for the day. Luckily, after I got off work from watching Lissa last night I had packed my belongings that I thought I would need for my trip. I wouldn't have to delay our start to our assignment further by not being prepared.

Arriving back in our suite, I realized that Dimitri had already left. I felt disappointed. Part of me wished that I could see him and try to talk a little before an awkward car ride later. Of course, since he wasn't here, talking would have to wait until later. I hurriedly took a shower and got dressed for the day. As much as part of me wanted to skip a shower because of the time crunch, I knew there was a possibility that I might not get a proper shower for a while. I wanted to start off the trip as clean as I could. I blow dried my hair as quickly as possible before throwing it up into a high pony tail. I was itching to find the co-inhabitor to my suite. I grabbed my bags, placing them next to the front door for easy access. I noticed then that Dimitri had also done the same thing. I was relieved. I hoped it meant that he hadn't strayed too far.

I quickly made my way down stairs to the shared kitchen. After assessing the situation, I figured he might be having breakfast with Lissa and Christian as we normally would. At least, I hoped this was true. Walking into the dining room next to the kitchen, I was glad to see that luck was on my side for once. All three were there, and they were in the middle of their breakfast. Dimitri noticed me first. Our eyes locked. I could see and understand so much in his gaze. He had been worried, I realized. He also looked tired. He probably hadn't slept well last night since I hadn't come home. I recognized that he was searching my eyes for clues to my emotions. I knew he was wondering if I was still upset, or angry. His eyes softened further when he realized that I was worried too. I had just been searching for him. Our gazes became knowing. There was a mutual understanding that both of us wanted a conversation later, but we both recognized that now wasn't an appropriate time nor place.

"It's about time you got here, Sleeping Beauty. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to sleep all day in protest of Lissa sending you to the keepers." Mocked Christian. He had noticed my arrival- my late arrival, and couldn't let a chance escape to show his snarky attitude. I understood, however, that his was a sign of affection. He could be brutal if he didn't actually like someone. This form of mockery was just cake in comparison. I scoffed, playing along with him.

"I, Christian, would have the brains to protest in a more successful way. Sleeping as a form of protest is too under the radar for my personality." I quipped back. Everyone in the room knew I could have a flair for the dramatics. It was one of the characteristics of my personality that endeared me to this group. Dimitri chuckled knowingly. The deep sound was music to my ears.

"Is everything prepared?" Asked Lissa, cutting Christian and I off from continuing our jokes.

"Yeah. Our bags are upstairs, but everything else is loaded up in a SUV waiting for us in one of the parking garages." I answered smoothly, glad that no one was aware that I hadn't slept here last night. No one was able to tell the subtle tension between Dimitri and me. It was how I preferred it though. I'd much rather not have my dirty laundry displayed for everyone to see.

"You're leaving right after breakfast, right?" She asked, confirming our plans.

"Yes, your Majesty." Answered Dimitri, being formal once again. Lissa didn't seem to appreciate the reminder. Even though our bond was broken, I knew her well enough to know that she enjoyed feeling normal around her friends. The rest of the vampiric world saw her as their leader and Queen. She had to play that role. To her friends, she wanted to be a normal human being. She wanted to be our friend Lissa instead of Queen Vasilisa Dragomir. Dimitri should have known better. Now that we are in a relationship that people could actually know about, Lissa had regarded him among her group of friends. She trusted him. She hoped he felt the same way. I knew she feared that his loyalty was because of her position, or because she saved him, not because he viewed her as a friend. I made a mental note to talk to Dimitri about it, adding it to the increasingly long list of conversational topics needed to be addressed. Luckily, we would be driving and have time to talk.

Breakfast passed quickly. I had to hurriedly scarf down my food in order to catch up with them. I had been late after all. Lissa lead us to her conference room, giving us another quick debriefing before we were to leave. She had previously asked my advice on who should take our places as guardians while Dimitri and I were away. I had wanted to think about it, but now it was time for an answer. She trusted my judgement wholeheartedly, especially since I had been working with the Royal Guard. I handpicked the best in my class for Lissa and the second best for Christian. Yes, Lissa had an array of guardians, but she often used a near guard and many far guards. This allowed her to have some privacy, yet still keep exceptionally protected. Almost always, I played near guard for her. Now that I would be away, she would need a new near guard, and I had wanted the best for her. Unsurprisingly, I had also chosen him to take over my classes until I returned. Dimitri and I had talked over my options and had agreed on the two guardians that would protect our Moroi.

After finishing our meeting with Lissa, we were dismissed to begin our assignment. We walked in silence to retrieve our bags from our room. It was a comfortable silence, which continued until we had left the palace building. We both wanted to talk to each other, yet we both knew it was a private conversation. One that could wait until no one else could hear. I was just glad that things felt normal between us. I knew without discussing it that we were on the same page. We both wanted to keep working on our relationship. Now I just needed to hear those words come out of his mouth. I was calm and relaxed while we carried our bags to the parking garage.

That was until a petite raven haired figured fell into step beside Dimitri. I tensed. It was subtle, but didn't escape Dimitri's notice.

"There you are! I was hoping I would get a chance to say goodbye before you left!" Came Irina's soft voice. I hated the sound of it. It shot through my ears like warning bells. Maybe that was because I knew she was interested in my man, my Dimitri. "I had a wonderful time last night." She continued, pretending not to notice that Dimitri hadn't responded.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself Irina. Thank you for coming out to see Rose and me off. It was nice of you." Dimitri said courteously, casting me a side long glance. He was checking my mood, not wanting to start the day off on the wrong foot.

"Oh I'm not leaving just yet. I want to walk you to your car!" She said excitedly. She seemed very bouncy this morning. She brushed off the comment about me though. I just rolled my eyes. "Can I carry one of your bags, Dimitri?" She asked excitedly. _Laying it on thick, are we?_ I couldn't help but gag internally. She had it bad.

"No, that's alright. My bags are good." He responded, tightening the grips he held on them. I saw a chance and I took it.

"I could use your help. Here, Irina." I said with forced sweetness, passing her my heaviest bag. I didn't give her time to argue. "Thank you _so_ much. Your help is _very_ appreciated." I said in that same fake sweet voice, emphasizing my sarcastic words. She didn't know me well enough to pick it up though. Dimitri could, but this time he didn't look at me with the same disappointing glance. He wisely decided to stay out of it. _Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks after all_.

She didn't seem very happy about carrying one of my bags though. I counted it as a tiny win for myself. _You got to have a dinner date with my man last night, but now you're basically acting as a butler for me. Score one for Rose Hathaway._

"You're bag is so heavy. What did you do, pack everything you own?" She asked in a whiney tone. It felt like nails on a chalkboard to my ears.

"No, but I am going camping with my insanely hot boyfriend. I figured I should pack a lot of lingerie to wear for him in our tent." I said, lying a little. She didn't need to know that though. Her face paled some, and I'm pretty sure Dimitri was blushing. I did pack some lingerie for him, but that wouldn't be what was making my bag so heavy.

"Shouldn't you pack practical clothing for a camping trip?" She asked, wanting to make me look stupid. _Tough luck._

"Oh I did. You needn't worry yourself about my packing skills. I have everything I need for a successful camping experience. I just wanted to be able to spoil Dimitri some while we were off alone in the woods together. Why not bring things he will enjoy? No one is going to be able to hear how loud we are anyways." I said, while leaning towards my Russian god. Yes, he was definitely blushing now.

"Don't you know that Dimitri doesn't like public displays of affection like that? He's a private man. He likes to keep his intimate matters behind doors." She said silkily, thinking she'd finally one upped me.

"I think I know Dimitri well-" I started, but Dimitri interrupted me.

"Ladies." He started, stopping in his tracks. We both stopped and looked at him. I stole a glance at Irina, glaring at her. Her eyes were only for Dimitri, big puppy dog eyes. He looked at both of us before continuing.

"Stop making jabs at one another. Irina, this is my girlfriend, a woman I am crazy about. She knows me plenty well. I don't actually mind it that much anymore. It's actually nice that our relationship is public." He didn't actually criticize me, but maybe that was because we hadn't had our talk yet. He probably still presumed he was on thin ice. "I want you two to get along. Irina has always been a good friend to me, and I would like it if you two could be friendly as well." He continued, looking at me this time.

I muttered something along the lines of Tasha once being a good friend, and Dimitri's look intensified. He wasn't having it today. I nodded, understanding his wishes. Irina looked unabashed.

"Of course I want to be friends with Rose. If she's part of your life, I definitely want to get to know her better." She said, managing to keep a straight face. I looked at her, and then looked back at Dimitri. He knew perfectly well that I suspected she was lying. Dimitri started walking again, and both of us women fell into suit beside him. There was some polite chit chat, but mainly it was Irina talking. Dimitri seemed slightly annoyed by her presence, but only I appeared to pick up on it. I remained silent, already bored of her chatter. There was nothing she said that I wanted to hear. I could tell she was desperate for Dimitri's attention, but he was treating her as he would any other friend. It made me feel better. She wasn't special.

Dimitri kept glancing over at me from the corner of his eye. I had definitely worried him, I realized. He was continually checking up on me, watching my reactions, my moods. I appreciated his attentiveness, especially after last night. I think he was partly unnerved by my silence, hoping I wasn't angry. But no, I just had nothing to say to Irina. She wasn't worth my effort at the moment.

Reaching the parking garage, where our SUV was waiting, it didn't take very long for Dimitri to pack our bags along with everything else that had been packed in the car the day before. I glanced over all the supplies. Everything looked to be in order.

"You guys sure have a lot of things packed for a camping trip. Where are you going?" Asked Irina, maybe a little too curiously.

"It's top secret." I answered maybe a little too gleefully. She didn't have to be nosey and know everything. This wasn't her assignment. "Being the Queen's best friend has its' perks. She trusts me to do secret assignments, and I go where my Queen commands." I continued with a wide smile. I tried to act nice, but I knew she understood the underlying tones. I wasn't threatening her, not yet, but I made it perfectly clear that I had friends in high places. Dimitri said a quick goodbye to her, dodging a hug she seemed to desperately want. He shook her hand instead, mentioning meeting back up if she were still at court when we returned. I had expected such a line, so it hadn't bothered me.

Dimitri and I climbed into the front seats of the SUV. It was black and comfortable. Within moments we were literally leaving Irina behind in the dust. It wouldn't take long for us to get out of the gates guarding the Royal Court, and then we would truly be on our own again. This time we wouldn't be escaping for our lives and living as fugitives. This time we won't have to continually check our surroundings in paranoia of guardians. This time we could leave in comfort, and seek out our destination in peace, although I wish it were a different destination. The keepers is where Lissa had wanted us, so to the keepers we would go.

 **Please review :***


	10. Chapter 10 Trouble in Paradise

**Authors Note:**

Seriously, to my viewers who actually take time to review, I seriously love you guys. Reading your comments make me so happy and help propel me further into my story. You guys are playing the part of my muse 3 We made 30 reviews!

I re-read the last chapter after a wonderful guest told me that they had re-read the chapter 6 times! I was so excited, and then I realized just how many mistakes I made! I read my chapters frequently after writing, but I guess I always read what I meant to write instead of what I actually wrote. I'm sorry guys for any chapters littered with mistakes. Either I need a beta, or I just need to take an extra day and re-read my chapters with fresh eyes. I'll try harder.

I would also like to ask ya'll a question. I've been reading different peoples stories on and off. I feel like some people that haven't written as well as myself, have literally 10x's the followers that I do. Is it because my story is still new? Or am I just being a snob and being over confident in my writing style? I know that I am certainly not the best. My favorite authors on this website so far are Swimming in the Same Deep Waters, Hbarker, voldobaby, and now TheCoffeeShopMuse. Their works are amazing, and I wouldn't dare put myself in their categorization. They have the followers and reviews to prove how great their work is. Maybe, if I am lucky, the longer I stay on this website, the more followers I can receive. By the way, ya'll, don't be afraid to drop me a PM either. I like hearing from you guys. Although I do **LOVE** my reviews! (Yes, I'm from the south. My characters are not though, so I try not to drop ya'lls around in my work all that often, but I figured it was okay in my author's note since it is me speaking.)

Sorry I sometimes make my authors notes so loooooooong, but I have a question. How do you guys feel about long paragraphs? I keep trying to split them up so they aren't unbearable. I don't want to lose anyone because long paragraphs look intimidating. Depending on a writer's style, sometimes I have a hard time getting through them… let me know.

 **Chapter 10**

The car ride to Altwood, West Virginia, which was the closest a GSP could get to the Keeper's location, was going to take around 7 to 8 hours, depending on the last leg of the trip not on the gps map. For the first time on one of our excursions like this, I had taken the keys. I was driving, and marked it as a personal victory in the scoreboard buried somewhere in my mind.

This left Dimitri in the passenger seat. He had managed to grab one of his books out of his bag before we had left court. Although I was driving, I was very in tune with Dimitri. We had already been on the road for several hours and had barely talked. For me, it was a comfortable silence. For Dimitri, it was a completely different matter. Dimitri wasn't sure what I was thinking, or feeling for that matter. He only knew a few things.

One- that he had gone to dinner with Irina and had returned at an unreasonable time.

Two- I had been upset enough to run out of the apartment and leave him behind without talking it through.

Three- I had not returned last night.

Four- I had appeared calm this morning, although in the case of Rose Hathaway, appearances were often deceiving.

Five- There had been no explosive behavior as of yet, which could mean that the pressure was still building. One could still happen. The longer we waited to address it, the worse it could be.

Six- Irina, the source of the problem, had showed up to see us off on our journey, and I had definitely been annoyed with her again. I could possibly be in a worse mood since she showed up and the worse opportune time. Should he wait until he knew I had cooled off?

Although Dimitri was sprawled out in the passenger seat, he wasn't comfortable. He was pretending to read, but I knew he wasn't accomplishing it well. We were several hours into our journey, and he had turned the page less than ten times. He was very distracted, his mind mostly on me. Every few minutes, he would spare a nervous glance at me. I could tell he was trying to do so discretely, attempting to assess the situation. He was also continually shifting in his seat, struggling to find a comfortable position. I guessed that he would continue to be uncomfortable until we talked about things.

I on the other hand looked the perfect picture of calm and collected. I was seated comfortably with one hand on the wheel. I had one earbud in the ear farthest from Dimitri, softly playing music to help keep me alert in the near silent car. I felt perfectly relaxed, and my outside features showed it. I knew that the silence was torture to Dimitri. Bad girlfriend or no, I was relishing in that fact. I was perfectly aware of his every movement. I could almost hear the conversation he was having with himself inside his head, or at least the gears turning inside his mind. Most people wouldn't have been able to see it, but I knew Dimitri well enough to perceive the storm cloud of emotions raging inside of him. I was enjoying his discomfort.

I already knew how I felt about the situation. I didn't want to let him off easy though. I wanted him to think about what happened and what he potentially had to loose, not that I was going anywhere yet. I was rather enjoying the reversal in our roles. Back when I was at St. Vladimir's, I was always the storm cloud of emotions. I acted first, thought later. I had been brimming with emotion for Dimitri and had a hard time controlling myself. My mind was always full of problems and trying to figure out how they all fit together or trying to solve them. My mind nearly never rested, except during my trainings when I had to turn off those dizzying thoughts in order to fight properly. Dimitri on the other hand had looked as cool as a cucumber. He always had his emotions in check. I had always been burning for him, and it looked like I barely affected him. At least I can give him kudos for being a good actor.

Part of me wanted to smile as I watched him mentally work through things. It had been a while since I had seen his mind so busy. It felt like Dimitri always knew the right thing to do, how to act, what to say. Since he usually did the right thing, he hadn't need to worry about it later. This time he was worrying though, and he was trying to figure out what to do. Should he wait for me to talk to him about it? Should he man up and bring up the conversation on his own? What if I wasn't ready to talk yet? What if he made it worse by bringing it up before I did? The entire time I was covertly watching his struggle, I fought down a smile. I had my guardian face up. _Yes. I'm enjoying this way too much._ This torture was good for Dimitri, I decided. Maybe it was good for me too though. It wouldn't bug him if I weren't important to him. I could see that written all over his face. _I am important to Dimitri._

Looking down at my gas tank, I realized we needed to make a pit stop. Not only did we need gas, but refreshments would be nice, and a restroom break. Dimitri noticed as the car slowed down, but didn't say anything. I was taking an exit that lead to a gas station. It looked new, and most importantly clean. Most guys may not care, but women know the importance of a clean restroom.

"Gas. Refreshments. Restrooms." I held up one finger at a time as I said each word. Dimitri took it as a sign that I didn't want to talk to him. Honestly, I didn't mind torturing him even more, although he was wrong. Actually, it's not that I just didn't mind his anguish; I was thoroughly enjoying it. _Maybe next time he will think twice before committing a similar mistake._ If I were anyone else, like Lissa, I might have immediately launched into our much needed conversation as soon as the SUV started, or at least after we cleared the gates leading out of Moroi Court. But not me. I, Rose Hathaway, thoroughly enjoyed playing hard to get. I didn't really like making life easy for anyone, with the one exception being Lissa. Plus, I knew Dimitri was tough, he could handle anything I threw at him. Literally.

I hopped out of the SUV after parking next to an empty gas pump. My legs were rejoicing in being able to stretch after the car ride, not that it was over yet. I grabbed the credit card that Lissa had gotten for me, for court business. It made life so much easier knowing I had a steady supply of court mandated money, not that I could use it on personal things per se. I let the SUV fill up with gas, and I took this time to stretch my body in front of the vehicle. It was a tiny bit cleaner up there, no gas or oil spills.

After coming up from a particularly satisfying backbend, I noticed a whole group of cute guys staring at me. It looked like they were all from the same vehicle, and apparently they all had the same tastes. A couple tried to wave at me. I brushed them off, going back to the stretching my body so enjoyed. The way I saw it, there was no reason to give them the time of day. My time was precious. No use in wasting it on guys like that. I shot a look over at Dimitri, who had yet to leave the vehicle. He wasn't looking at me, but he looked angry or troubled. I guessed that he hadn't missed out on the exchange. Not that I had done anything wrong.

After the tank was full, I reattached the gas cap back to the SUV, put the card in my pocket and receipt back in the vehicle. Dimitri exited the vehicle just in time for me to lock it behind us as we made our way inside. It was similar to the other million gas stations around the United States, featuring plenty of drinks and unhealthy snacks. I made a beeline for the ladies room, knowing it would be easier to buy snacks afterwards instead of taking them into the restroom with me later. I could feel Dimitri following me, he apparently had the same thought. Although he passed me, assumedly retiring to the men's restroom. The bathrooms were exceptionally clean, a feature I quite admired about the place. _There should be an app that lets people rate places based on clean bathrooms. This place would rank decently on the list._

Upon exiting the ladies room, Dimitri caught me by surprise, spinning me into a small alcove. It was technically a place for water fountains, but miraculously I managed to fit between the water fountain and the wall. Part of me almost wanted to smile. If anyone had been watching, it would have looked like an elegant dance move, planned and perfected. Dimitri, like most men, had apparently emptied the contents of his bladder faster than a woman could, and waited for me right outside the restroom. As it was, his body was inches from mine; his face was looking down at me, his eyes capturing mine. We were close, oh so very close. It was impossible to deny how his presence made me feel, especially when we were in this close of proximity to one another.

"I wish you hadn't gotten so good at wearing that damn guardian mask." Dimitri growled. Dimitri knew what his presence did to me, but his only clue were my eyes. The rest of my features I had trained to perfection.

"Well, Comrade, I am a guardian now. I had to practice so I wouldn't get thrown out of the club." I remarked back, having to refrain from smirking. I wanted to keep my face blank. I was absolutely loving driving him crazy.

"I miss the days where I could always tell what you were thinking. You're emotions weren't on your sleeve for everyone to read, just me." He growled again, keeping his voice low. Oh how I loved the sound of his voice. It called to my soul on a spiritual level.

"Well, someone, and I'm not going to say names, made me practice self-control while I was back at St. Vladimir's." I countered. His eyes narrowed.

"Oh how I am regretting that mistake." He breathed. I finally allowed myself to smirk.

"It wasn't a mistake, Comrade. Just imagine how much more trouble the world would be in if Rose Hathaway hadn't learned to curb _most_ of her crazy schemes?" I asked, loving playful banter. I was careful not to let him know we were okay, not yet anyways. "Now would you mind releasing me, or do you see something you like?" I joked, making a stab at a comment I had said to him once long ago. This brought a smile to his lips as well. Those gorgeous lips that sent my body into a frenzy on many an occasion.

Suddenly, I could feel him leaning down towards me, his face coming closer and closer to mine. He's going to kiss me, I realized. Oh how I wanted to feel those lips against mine. I wanted to feel how soft they felt, the heat they spread throughout my entire body. Part of me almost forgot that I was still pretending to be mad at him. With my guardian mask fully operational again, I slid my face to the side at the last minute, resulting in his lips meeting my cheek. Dimitri was surprised, to say the least. I couldn't remember a single time in our history that I had refused a kiss from him. _Maybe next time he will come home at a reasonable hour._

While he was momentarily shocked, I used the opportunity to push him away from myself and slide past him out of the alcove. I glanced back at him as I walked away. I tried to hide my delight at the shock covering his face. After all this time, I enjoyed being able to surprise him.

"Trouble in paradise?" A masculine voice asked me, snapping my attention back to where I was going. One of the guys from outside had apparently followed me into the gas station. He had short blonde hair with blue eyes, though not nearly as piercing as Christians. After being around the pyromaniac, this guy's eyes looked extremely lack luster. Although for a human, he wasn't built badly.

"Nope." I said, popping my 'p'. "Paradise is beautiful this time of year."

"That doesn't mean that you don't need a change of scenery." Lack luster guy suggested. I sighed while eyeing the guy, feeling rather put out. Maybe I needed to make myself more clear.

"I'm not interested in a change of scenery. I have an amazing boyfriend, plus, I wouldn't be interested in a guy like you anyways." I said bluntly, feeling like this guy was clearly wasting my time. I felt Dimitri's presence in close proximity behind me. He had apparently recovered from his shock when he realized his woman was being hit on by a buffoon.

"Don't let tall, dark and intimidating make your decisions for you. If you want to get away, I can protect you from him." Mr. Lack luster said, hoping to be persuasive. I couldn't help it, I laughed. He thought I was intimidated by Dimitri? He obviously had me pegged as the wrong type of girl.

"First of all, I make my own decisions. Second of all, I don't need any protection. Not from you, or him. I'm the kind of girl who can look out for myself. Now I suggest you move out of my way before you find out for yourself the type of damage I can cause." I stated, pushing my way past him. I had no time for fools such as him.

Dimitri followed me around protectively as we picked out refreshments for the rest of the ride. There was no way I was going to get through the remainder of the drive without soda and sugar. Those were two very important staples in my diet and daily routine. How could a girl live without sugar? When I placed all my selections down on the front counter, the cashier gave me an incredulous look.

"Do you happen to have an army of kids back in your vehicle that you're feeding?" She asked with a teasing twinkle in her eye. I laughed outright.

"Nope. These things are for me." I started, wrapping my arms around the majority of the goods, most of them being sugary delights. "And those are his." I finished, pointing to a few more practical items, including beef jerky and a water bottle. My Russian god apparently didn't run on sweets like I do. She chuckled as she rang up our items for me, placing our items in two separate bags. My bag was a lot heavier than Dimitri's. I passed her the credit card, paying for these 'essential' road trip items. Surely Lissa wouldn't begrudge me proper road trip food? The cashier handed me back the credit card before cheerily wishing us a good remainder of our day. My mood had brightened, or least it had until I made it out into the parking lot. I was once again addressed by the group of guys, primarily Mr. Lack luster. At least that's what I kept calling him in my head, since I didn't care to waste the time to ask for his name.

"Yo sweet thang, here's your chance to get rid of that extra baggage following you around and come with us to have some real fun." Offered Mr. Lack luster. Dimitri immediately tensed, ready for action. I could practically feel the words forming on his lips as he began stepping in front of me. He was my protective boyfriend after all. I placed my hand on his arm, distracting him from his retort. Instead he looked at me, our eyes connecting. He understood.

"Let me handle this, Comrade." I said softly, handing him the plastic bag I was carrying. He continued gazing into my eyes, as if asking my permission to dispose of them for me. I only shook my head. Dimitri sighed audibly, and took a couple steps back, resting against our SUV. I on the other hand took a few steps forward.

"I guess I didn't make myself clear back in the gas station. I'm not interested. In other words, I don't want anything to do with you." I stated haughtily, placing my hands on my hips. All their eyes seemed to follow my hands, checking out my curves. Who were these guys? Were they really that desperate?

"Don't be like that. I know once you come with us, you'll be more than happy, which is more than I can say about how you looked when you pulled up. Come stay with us, you'll have an excellent time." Mr. Lack luster said. Apparently he was the ring leader of the group, and extremely bad at persuasion. Could it be that he was just really that dumb? I sighed impatiently. This was going nowhere.

"I'll make a deal with you, _brah_." I said, using lingo that I thought was every bit as retarded as the guy I was addressing. "If you can manage to get me to your car, I'll come willingly. It will save you from having to kidnap me. If you can't, then you leave me the fuck alone." I finished, my voice becoming hard at the end.

"That stiff by your car will come to your rescue." Said Mr. Lack luster, seemingly unable to comprehend my defiance.

"No." I said, shaking my head. "Dimitri promises that he won't move a muscle in my defense. Don't you Dimitri?" I asked, turning my head towards the giant leaning against the SUV we drove in on. His arms were across his chest, plainly unhappy with the situation, but he had his guardian face on. He grunted in acknowledgement of his promise and nodded his head. Dimitri trusted that I could take care of myself, even if he didn't usually like leaving me defenseless. We both knew I could take on these suckers though. "See? Now, do we have a deal?" I asked with a fake sweetness to my tone.

"Deal, babe." Agreed Mr. Lack luster, cracking his knuckles. I could visibly see him assessing me. I was doing the same, although he never would have guessed it. I was trained, and much stealthier than him. I could see that he didn't view me as much as a threat. It seemed a continual problem for people that faced me. They always underestimated me, or assumed Dimitri was the bigger threat. This blonde human was definitely underestimating me. I cracked my neck while waiting for him to make a move. _Ahhh, that felt better._

Finally, he dashed forward, attempting to grab me. I smiled widely. He made this much too easy for me. I turned, grabbing his arm. I then used his own momentum to flip him over my back. Everyone in close proximity heard when he hit the concrete. He hadn't broke anything, but it had more than certainly knocked the wind out of him, and with it, the will to fight. Looking down at him, I saw the defeat in his eyes. I had barely moved, and certainly not done anything difficult. I turned back to his friends, my self-confidence blazing.

"Anyone else wish to have a go?" I asked, my hands finding my hips again. No one spoke, but they were all shaking their heads. I smiled wider. _Wussies._

With a wide smile, I skipped carelessly back to the SUV. No one would have guessed by my demeanor that I had just brought a grown man down on the ground. I was happy. Dimitri shook his head at me, as if in disapproval, but his small smile gave him away. I knew he enjoyed watching me put guys like that in their place. He had be confident that I could handle myself, and Dimitri had not been wrong.

I crawled back into the driver's seat, having to use the complimentary running boards along the side of the vehicle to help me inside. _This seriously sucks. I am not_ _ **that**_ _small._ Dimitri gracefully filed into the passenger seat, placing our drinks in the cup holders. I drove off, leaving the human guys behind us. I couldn't stop smiling though. I had enjoyed the small confrontation, even though it hadn't been fair. Mr. Lack luster had no clue who he had been messing with. That really only made it more fun for me though. I personally liked putting bullies in their place. I had even tried taking the high road, but that guy couldn't take a hint.

"You certainly seem to be enjoying yourself." Said my Russian accented passenger. Remembering that I was supposed to be mad at him, I pulled my guardian mask back over my face before sparing a glance his way.

"Now why would I be enjoying myself?" I asked deadpan, all amusement gone from my voice. By the look on his face, he noticed it. He noticed, and certainly didn't appreciate it. I on the other hand was enjoying myself immensely. I enjoyed making the poor man suffer.

"Don't be like that Milaya. We need to talk about what happened." He said, looking at me with concern. I brushed it off.

"Talk about what?" I asked, playing dumb. The look I received made it definitely worthwhile. This was going to be too much fun.

 **Author's Note Part two.**

 **I'm sorry I like to leave such long author's notes in the beginning, I just like communicating with my readers! I'll make this one short and sweet.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW! (I'll love you long time if you do!)**


	11. Chapter 11 Word Vomit

**Author's Note:**

Seriously, you guys are amazing! I LOVE my reviewers! You guys rock! You seriously make my day when you review. We have reached 44 reviews! (Yes, I'm seriously celebrating that amount. It's amazing for me.)

I had someone mention Rose being 'controlled' or maybe even tame. I think a lot of Rose's outbursts in the books were caused by spirit. Now that she is no longer bonded, I like to think it wouldn't affect her anymore. I know she's sassy and has quite a bit of an attitude even without spirit, but after studying the books, I also think Rose has matured over the course of the series. So I'm trying to portray Rose as wild, sassy and opinionated, but also one who has learned from her actions over time and has grown into being an adult. Hopefully I'm succeeding? I'm not calling anyone out, I just wanted to clear the air on my opinion in case anyone else felt like I was watering down Rose. I guess it's been a fear of mine.

I've had two wonderful people volunteer to be my Beta. I'm still trying to figure out how all this beta stuff will work… So in the mean time I thought I would post this chapter since it is already finished. It's unbeta-ed, so hopefully we can start the whole beta thing next chapter. No reason to keep ya'll in suspense while I figure out this website.

If you guys haven't read _Reality Bites_ by Swimming in the Same Deep Waters, YOU SHOULD. She just finished the series today, and I'm completely heart broken. Its 102 chapters long, and it had become part of my daily ritual to read her stories. I don't know what I'm going to do! Anyways, it's completely awesome- check it out.

 **Chapter 11**

Here Dimitri and I were, sitting in our court borrowed SUV, driving towards grounds known to house the Keepers. After a particularly comical pit stop, Dimitri finally initiated 'the conversation'. No, this wasn't the talk about the birds and the bees. He had technically demonstrated that talk to me several months ago in the cabin, although that hadn't been his plan. No, this talk was about the other night. I had left our shared suite after refusing to listen to his excuses about staying out late with Irina, and hadn't come home until the next morning. I had been angry and hurt. This entire car ride I had been acting like nothing happened, leaving my boyfriend a little confused. After all, I was known for being particularly dramatic. I personally liked seeing him second guess himself as I wore my guardian mask like a badge of honor.

"Rose." He started, but hesitated before continuing. "I want to talk about last night." He stopped there, waiting to assess my reaction. At first, I gave no indication that I heard him. I kept my eyes on the road, with no immediate discernable reaction. I let the silence hang in the air. I was usually one who was fast with witty quips and sarcastic comebacks, but I was learning to rather enjoy this suffer in silence gig. Finally, I gave him a side long glance before turning my attention back to the road. He had been watching me and my every move, not that you move a whole lot while you're driving. Our eyes had connected. Per usual, we could communicate so many things when our eyes connected. It's as if our eyes were the windows to our souls and since we were so in sync we could share the deepest desires of our souls to one another just by sharing eye contact. His face had been open to me, showing the emotion plainly. After nearly always remembering him with a guardian face, it was an amazing sight to see. _He loves me, and he's not afraid to show it._ It was one of those things that made me want to melt right into my seat. I couldn't show such weakness as the driver, however.

"What about last night?" I asked plainly, finally consenting to addressing this topic. I kept my eyes on the road, my hands positioned at ten and two on the wheel.

"Where did you go last night when you didn't come back home?" Asked Dimitri. Both my eyebrows rose in surprise since I was physically unable to pull off the signature Dimitri one eyebrow trick. Seriously, practical things like that should be taught in schools at a young age. I would have appreciated it.

"Out of any question you could ask, that's what you want to know?" I started incredulously. "Not asking why I left, why I was so mad, why I wouldn't listen to you, or anything like that?" I kept glancing between him and the road, wanting to gauge his reaction. He hadn't outright said it, but it felt like he was accusing me of being with another man last night. A little flare of fire kindled in my gut. _Just because I didn't spend last night with you, Comrade, doesn't mean I spent it in the arms of another man._

"It's a start Rose. It might be hard for you to believe, but it's hard for a man to sleep at night when he isn't sure where his woman is, or if she is safe." He said softly. I could hear the concern in his voice. One glance at him told me what I needed to know. He had that far off look in his eye, as if remembering last night. I had left him alone with his thoughts, his guilt. He had been worried about me.

"We were at court, isn't that one of the safest places on earth to be?" I asked, not quite giving him what he wanted. I was answering his question with a question. Even I knew that was infuriating. I purposefully didn't bring up the thought that had sparked anger deep within me.

"That's not the point and you know it." He said, with a tone of frustration lining his voice.

"Then what is the point?" I retorted, my patience snapping momentarily. "Can't trust me to be on my own for one night? Afraid that if I'm not in your arms, that I'll flee to the arms of another man? Are you afraid that in one moment of weakness, I'll run to the closest guy and cheat on you like I did with Adrian?" I asked, my voice raised. The fire raging within my body had suddenly erupted like a grease fire, taking control of me. I hadn't even known where those words were coming from. Is this what I was afraid he would think of me? Did I just personify my fears onto Dimitri? I was suddenly at a loss for what had spewed from my mouth. I felt the fire dwindle down as soon as I began to second guess myself. One glance at Dimitri, and I realized he was at a loss for words too. Yet he was the one who found his voice first.

"Is that what you think I think of you?" He asked softly and earnestly.

"What is it with people answering my questions with questions?" I muttered as a response under my breath, even though I had just been guilty of the same crime moments before. It was in that moment that I saw an opportunity. There was an exit leading to a rest stop, one where truckers might stop to snooze for a few hours. There were parking spaces, picnic areas and a restroom. I had quickly realized that this wasn't a conversation to be had while driving. As much as I had hoped to use driving as an excuse to prolong his suffering, I realized how that the distraction of driving could be a rather large hindrance to our conversation. Of course there was always the danger of allowing this conversation to distract me from diving. Vehicles are just over sized weapons after all. Without consulting Dimitri, I took the exit, parking near one of the picnic areas. It was all good though, because it appeared to give Dimitri time to collect his thoughts and assess my outburst.

"You've let what Adrian said get to you." Dimitri stated before I could exit the vehicle. I halted all movement, my brows furrowing. I was momentarily lost in thought. Coming back to my senses, I grabbed my bag of treats and my drink from the cup holder.

"Come on Comrade, let's go sit." I said, not waiting for a reply. Moments later I was out of the vehicle, making my way towards a picnic table. We had left court during the vampiric morning. Now that it was several hours later, the sun was fully down. Since it was summer, it still felt amazing outside. It was cool, but not cold. There was a slight breeze that permeated a smell that could only be classified as 'outside'. It was nice and refreshing after spending so long at court. I took a deep breath, allowing the crisp air to permeate my lungs.

Dimitri was only steps behind me, choosing to sit across from me at the table. He had taken my lead and picked up his own small bag of refreshments. We sat in a comfortable silence as we grabbed our own items to eat. I chose Sour Patch Watermelon soft and chewy candy. As advertised it was a wonderful symphony of sour and sweet in my mouth, sending me into a mini sugary bliss. Dimitri chose a bag of chips to begin consuming as he watched me. It was a comfortable silence, both of us contemplating what to say.

"I've barely thought twice about what Adrian said to me." I finally said, choosing to break the silence. Dimitri seemingly had been waiting for such a move.

"That doesn't mean it didn't affect you. Are you afraid that I could think of you as some cheating whore?" Asked Dimitri softly. It was a question due to curiosity, there was no judgement intermingled in his voice. Neither of us stopped munching on our snacks. It gave us time to think about what to say next. It was a slow conversation, but peaceful.

"Not consciously. I hadn't thought about it at all until you asked where I was. It was as if you didn't trust me, and all of a sudden things came spewing out of my mouth that I didn't even recognize, like word vomit." I said slowly after taking my time on chewing one of my sugary delights. Dimitri didn't even recognize my Mean Girls reference, completely skipping over it to his next point. I shook my head. _That didn't even elicit a smile._

"So would it be correct to say that it's possible that subconsciously you're afraid that I might think about you in such a way?" He asked, his voice soothing to my ears. I looked up from my treats, my eyes narrowing slightly. How did this get to be about me? Weren't we supposed to be talking about him?

"I suppose it's possible. I can't bear to imagine you believing such things about me. I hope you realize that I'm not that type of person. It happened due to unusual circumstances. I wouldn't have even dated Adrian if I had been able to get you out of those caves alive." I said, my voice dropping another octave. He didn't have to ask for further explanation. He understood. If Dimitri had never been Strigoi, Adrian would never have become my boyfriend. Adrian had helped me through a difficult time, but once Dimitri was back it became a different ballpark. You can't ignore someone who can speak to your soul on a spiritual level. It's impossible. It was something Adrian couldn't comprehend, yet Dimitri and I understood it implicitly. Dimitri reached over, his hand barely touching mine. It was enough to drag me out of my thoughts. I hadn't even realized that I had begun to zone out. He was smiling, knowingly.

"I would never think such things of you, Roza. Our Journey has been far from easy, but I believe the best of you. We all have our flaws, but I see every day how much you love me. It's in your eyes, the way that you move, your actions." He said eagerly, attempting to meet my eyes. My gaze had drifted back to my Sour Patch Watermelon candies, and I purposefully left it there.

"The church. That's where I eventually landed up last night, where I ended up passing out on the pews. Before that I was just running blindly, running from my fears, my anger and everything else." I said as if I were on autopilot. My eyes were unfocused, remembering the event.

"But why did you run?" Asked Dimitri. My hand paused inches away from my mouth, frozen in mid action of replenishing my mouth that had finished off the previous watermelon candy. My eyes shot up to Dimitri in surprise.

"I thought that was obvious. I needed my space, and it didn't look like you were going to give it to me." I answered slowly, still a little shocked. He preceded to ask the next stupidest question.

"Why did you need your space?" My eyes narrowed as he spoke. I popped the candy in my mouth, no longer frozen in place. I put my fingers to my lips in a very pensive gesture, although my eyes were glaring at him rather accusingly. I didn't feel the need to answer him. If he hadn't been able to figure that much out on his own, then he wasn't ready for this conversation. He seemed to wait for me to respond. Once I popped a new candy into my mouth and continued just staring at him, I think he got the message.

"Was it because I came home so late?" He finally asked, breaking the silence between us.

"Hmmmm." I started, my fingers still on my lips. "That might have something to do with it." I finished with a slight sarcastic tone. Dimitri sighed like we were back at St. Vladimir's. It held a slightly exasperated edge, though it was still full of endearment.

"I was out late with Irina." He finally conceded. I nodded, acknowledging that this was part of our problem. However, I didn't address it. Popping another watermelon candy into my mouth, I waited for him to say more. I refused to let him speak about it last night, but now I would wait for him. My patience has seemingly restored itself. I would wait for his explanation of his behavior. We both sat peacefully for a few moments, munching on our own snacks. Finally he sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"This is going to sound like a stupid excuse, but we lost track of time. I haven't seen Irina since we graduated from the Academy. We broke up, knowing it would be impossible to keep a long distance relationship. We hadn't kept in touch. So last night we were catching up with each other's lives." He started. I hadn't made a sound, so the look on my face must have hinted at my displeasure. "Don't look at me like that. I talked about Ivan, his life, his death. Then I moved on to talking about my work at St. Vladimir's, which lead me to talking about you. Although I couldn't get into the details of our relationship at school, I told her how you were an inspirational student. I told her about how you saved me from my – unnatural state. I told her how I fell for you and how you captivate my being. I spent a lot of time just talking about you." He continued, smiling at me or the memory. "She also filled me in on her life since graduation and how she came to find out about my death. She talked about it inspiring her into joining the guardian ranks, although I still feel like it's the wrong motivation for such a life changing experience." He sighed, realizing he was getting a little off track. "The point is, I didn't mean to stay out so late. I was enjoying catching up with a friend. When I realized how late it really was, I immediately came home to you." He finally finished. I stared at his facial features the entire time, reading his emotions. I could see each feeling flit across his amazing handsome facial features as it morphed into another emotion. Just watching Dimitri was a sight to see. Not everyone got to see so much of Dimitri's sentiments on display. _You're special Rose_.

"Do you understand why I was upset?" I finally asked quietly after nodding in understanding to his words. I could feel a subtle shift in myself after hearing that I had been a main topic of discussion. It hadn't excused his actions, but it made me feel a little better. His eyes focused solely on me again. Our eyes connected and the predictable happened, as it had a million times before that. Our eyes shared messages with one another. It was in those deep pools of molten chocolate that I knew someone understood me, someone loved me. Lissa was like a sister to me, someone who had been there for me for years, but she didn't understand me in the way Dimitri did.

"You're not very fond of Irina." Dimitri said, barely audible. It was like he was too caught up in the bond between our eyes. I couldn't help but smile as I snorted in response, my eyes shifting away from Dimitri's. There was something powerful about that gaze, something tangible between us. It couldn't be maintained at all moments, and laughing at his misjudgment was not one of those moments.

"You're right, I don't like her. Then again, I don't know her either. I do know that she doesn't respect our relationship. She looks at you with these big innocent doe eyes as if she worships you." I started. Dimitri gave me one of those looks as if I were being hypocritical. And yeah, maybe I had looked at him like that while we were at St. Vladimir's, but I was his equal now. "She doesn't care that you have a girlfriend. She'll do anything in her power to get you back. I can feel it radiating off of her like a bitch in heat." I finished.

Dimitri raised one of his eyebrows at the phrase. Some small part of me felt like every time he did that, he was subtly mocking my inability to accomplish such a maneuver. Yes, I could kill countless Strigoi, but try to raise one eyebrow and I was useless. I mumbled something about 'bitch' being the correct terminology to use for a female dog so he shouldn't be giving me that look for such a good metaphor.

"She knows I love you, Rose." Dimitri stated simply. His big beautiful eyes bore into me, wishing me to understand.

"Does she? Unless you said it last night, you haven't said it once in front of her. As far as she's concerned, you might not be that committed to me yet so she might have a chance to steal you away." The look that crossed Dimitri's face at my words was interesting to see. He wasn't sure about the accuracy of my words.

"Surely she knows, I must have said it." Dimitri mumbled, his voice trailing off. I could mentally see him replaying all the conversations in his head. His eyes were unfocused, his attention turned inward. I let him ruminate on that thought train for a while longer, finishing off my bag of Sour Patch Watermelon Candies and opening a bag of skittles. _Mmmmm skittles, always a classic_. I popped several into my mouth, letting the bold flavors coalesce on my tongue. Finally I decided to interrupt his thought process. I knew no matter how hard he thought back, he wouldn't remember a time where he told Irina that he loved me. It had been a major oversight on his part, assuming Irina already knew.

"Those guys back there-" I started. Dimitri's gaze snapped back to attention, his eyes becoming sharp.

"You mean those fools back at the gas station?" Asked Dimitri with a hard undertone to his voice. I recounted my earlier description of them as buffoons, a term that made me snicker internally.

"Yeah, those guys. Did I make it appear in the slightest that I was interested in them?" I asked. He shook his head slowly. "Did I leave any room for interpretation in my disinterest in them?" I asked again. His move mirrored his previous response to my last question. "I made it known that I had a boyfriend. When that didn't work, I moved on to other tactics or clearer phrases to get my point across. I didn't want them. It was unrequited attention." I started, feeling at a loss of words to adequately explain how I really felt.

"And you don't feel like I've sufficiently expressed to Irina my desire for you?" He asked, or guessed.

"Or at least that you're not interested in her. She's got it bad for you, Belikov." I said in a teasing, yet serious tone. He honest to goodness rolled his eyes at me. Right then and there I wanted nothing more than for him to take me into his arms. I love how open he is with me. As if reading my mind, he slowly got up from the table and joined me on my side. I had been straddling the bench below me, making it easier for me to break eye contact with my man. It gave me the illusion that I had more time to think before answering his questions. Now he was sitting himself down beside me, or rather behind me. He scooted close to me as he also straddled the bench before pulling me into his chest. I closed my eyes, relaxing into his embrace, relishing the feel of my body against his.

"Do you doubt my intentions for you, Milaya?" He murmured into my ear. I could feel his breath tickling my skin. It caused my body to erupt in shivers. If my nipples hadn't been erect due to the crisp night air, they certainly were now. One of his arms was draped around my shoulders, the other around my abdomen. My right hand grasped the arm around my shoulders soothingly, my left laying directly on top of his arm around my midsection. It felt comfortable, intimate.

"No." I said softly, barely audible. I knew Dimitri heard it though. He buried his face into my hair, inhaling the scent of it that he so enjoyed. "Just make sure she understands, mkay?" I murmured, fully enjoying leaning back into his rock hard body. That man was all muscle. He nodded before kissing my hair. Our talk had lead me to feeling peaceful. Of course, Dimitri usually had a calming effect on me.

"Please don't run away from me again, Milaya." He breathed. It was so close to my ear, yet again sending shivers down my body. I wasn't cold though, I could never be cold while in this close of proximity to Dimitri's body. I bowed my head the little that I could, since Dimitri's arm was blocking me from moving it further. He clenched me to him tighter, feeling the motion. "It was so hard to watch you run away from me. I had this irrational fear well up inside of me, telling me that I had lost you yet again. I looked everywhere I could think of to find you. Lissa's guardians hadn't seen you, neither had the ones that were positioned outside Christian's suite. I checked the gym. I walked by every place I could think of. I even peeked inside the Church, but it was early on, so you might not have arrived yet. I went back to our suite, dejected. My last hope was that you went home and I would miraculously find you there. But you weren't. When I saw you this morning –" He trailed off, his Russian accent thick with emotion. He didn't continue, but I understood what he was saying. It had been a major relief to see me that morning, as it was for me to see him. His face was buried in my hair again, his grip around me tighter than ever. After wishing him to suffer all day, I hadn't expected his turn of events. I wanted him to realize that he had messed up. I hadn't recognized though, that he had mentally punished himself all night long. Part of me wondered if he had slept at all.

"When I was in the church, I cursed myself for running. I don't want to fight with you, or be apart from you. An old instinct just washed over me, and I gave in without thinking about it. Although part of me knew it earlier, I realized while I was laying in the pews that I want us to succeed. I will fight for our relationship, through thick and thin. It's not going to be easy, but that is part of what makes us worthwhile. We are willing to fight for one another." I said softly, my hand squeezing his arm. He squeezed my whole body back in a sign of understanding and agreement. Then he went back to holding me just as tight as before, placing kisses down my neck. I felt like I was melting into him. It was a tender, emotional moment. I wished it never had to end, but reality is hardly ever so pleasant. Our mission was looming ahead of us. We both knew we had to get back on the road, we had already taken too much personal time. It had been worth it though.

We finally gathered up all of our things, and Dimitri led me back to the SUV hand in hand. He stopped me before I could open my car door. I had no plans on abdicating the driver's seat, so I prepared myself for an argument. Instead he spun me around, firmly pressing me up against the door, kissing me deeply. It took me by surprise, taking me a moment to relax into the kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him back just as deeply. The world felt right again, as if that kiss could knock an unbalanced world back into its' proper axis. When he finally pulled away, he was breathless. Hell, we both were. He rested his forehead against mine, his eyes closed. It almost felt like he needed that reconnection of our souls as validation of our continued romance. A sign that he hadn't actually lost me. I couldn't hold back the smile that grew on my face. A complimentary smile graced his handsome features as well.

He opened the car door for me, being the gentleman I knew him to be. He watched as I literally hopped into the SUV. He would have offered to help me, but knew me well enough to know I would take offense to such an action. At 5'7" I didn't feel like I had to convince people that I wasn't short.

He shut the car door, making his way around the SUV with our bags. Yes, he had insisted on carrying both bags of refreshments this time. After sliding his long frame into the passenger seat, replacing our drinks back in the cup holders and safely storing our refreshments, I finally started the vehicle and pulled out of the rest stop. We still had several hours on the road if we were to make it to the Keeper's. I was dead set on making it in one day and getting it over with.

This time, the drive was going to be a lot more comfortable, for the both of us.

 **Please Review! :* I love to know your thoughts!**


	12. Chapter 12 Pickpocket!

**Author's Note:**

Hey guys, I'm so sorry it's taken me almost two weeks to update. My closest-thing-I-have-to-a-sister (cousin) came back and I've been spending a lot of time with her. I love her to death, and the summer is really the only time I get to spend with her since she is still in high school, and she doesn't live too terribly close to me. She will be leaving next week though. I'll try to write some while she is still here, and then write more while she is gone.

Hopefully if all goes well I can make another update in less than a week. Hopefully this next chapter will write itself easily. I love it when that happens. I don't have good news though. My fiancé is coming into town on the 23rd of July and then we are headed to a vacation in south Texas. I may or may not be able to write during this time. My goal will be focused around my fiancé since I don't get to spend a lot of time with him. August won't be nearly as busy though, and I will update as much as I can until then.

 **To my REVIEWERS: I seriously love you guys so much.** You are awesome! I appreciate each and every one of your reviews, especially the ones who have said such nice things to me. You guys have been inspirational. It's because of you WONDERFUL people that I have felt go guilty on how long it took to get this chapter out. I don't like to disappoint you guys. To the guest reviewers Alia and Mia: I can't send you messages, but thank you so much for your kind words. We have reached 57 reviews!

This chapter was beta'd by miss Sadiekane031798. She's worked with me in order to figure it all out! I'm thankful for her I've already started writing chapter 13!

 **Chapter 12**

Being the driver for the first time ever while on the road with Dimitri was rather fun. I had this feeling of accomplishment. One might have thought that I had to forcibly wrangle the keys from Dimitri, and force him out of the driver's seat if they could have weighed my feeling of self-importance. It had always been a sore point for me, Dimitri always getting to be the driver. Now it was my turn. I felt as if I were sitting on a throne. A plush, black leather throne. I felt glorious and alive.

We were around an hour away from Altwood, West Virginia. That wasn't our final destination though. It would take a while on backroads to find our remote destination. We had been cruising steadily for a couple hours since our conversation at the rest stop. Dimitri no longer shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He had since turned several chapters over in his western novel, finally able to concentrate. I was driving peacefully, content to watch the road and our surroundings. I would only occasionally sneak glances at the handsome giant sitting in the passenger seat next to me.

As a matter of fact, that's what I was doing now. He was so enthralled in his western, his features intently studying the lines of the pages in the book. His facial features were sculpted, chiseled- perfection. Somehow it still amazed me that this man was mine. He was too fucking handsome to be real. I was currently observing the way his chin length hair fell forward as he was engrossed with the content of his novel. I wanted to reach over and touch his silky mane, but I resisted.

My attention was so absorbed by Dimitri that I apparently missed the metal debris laying in the middle of the road. My front tires drove over it fine, but my rear driver side tire was another story. My attention was jolted back to the road as I felt the tire blow, making the SUV nearly impossible to control. Adrenaline immediately started coursing through my veins. I pushed my foot down on the accelerator for only moment, somehow instantaneously reminded of what to do in a situation like this. I suppose it's called instinct. Maybe a learned instinct? I had been taught once, but never had to put it into action – until now. I had to fight against my other instincts to slam on the breaks, which could potentially cause damage to the rims of my tire. I fought to keep the car under control, my hands gripping the steering wheel until my knuckles were white. The SUV instantaneously started slowing down after taking my foot off the accelerator, the bad tire weighing it down. When the SUV was slow enough, I creeped it over to the shoulder on the side of the road. We would need time to fix this tire before we could continue.

Only after successfully stopping the vehicle, did I spare a glace over at Dimitri. I hadn't wanted to look at him, for I feared his response. He had shifted his position when the tire blew to one providing much more stability in the emergency. Dimitri was now looking at me, several emotions dangling on his face. His face seemed to be saying, 'really Rose?' as if I purposefully endangered our only method of transportation.

I finally allowed myself to really breathe, since the crisis was now adverted. I hadn't realized that I had practically been restricting my own air flow while my brain was sending out rapid messages to the rest of my body. Acting had been a key priority. Breathing had apparently not been.

Remembering roadside etiquette, I pushed the button for my flashing emergency lights. I could hear the little clinking noise the car makes in reminder that the lights are on.

"Have you ever had to change a tire before?" Asked Dimitri, reaching for the handle to open his car door.

"Nope." I said, popping the 'p'. It was a silly way to show my frustration, but it felt like it helped in the slightest degree. "I've never had the pleasure." I finished. My heart was still beating rapidly, recovering from the adrenaline rush. Sarcasm was a great outlet at the moment. Dimitri sighed.

"Wait here. I'll get it done faster without you." He said softly. There was no unkind tone in his voice, but I still took his words offensively.

"I'm not some girly girl who sits in the car while her boyfriend does all the hard work. You can fucking teach me or move over while I figure out how to do it myself." I snapped, my emotions running high. I was embarrassed this was happened to begin with. Doubts were already lining my mind. Would this have happened if Dimitri were driving? Maybe this is why Dimitri always drives? Would Dimitri have acted better? Would he have been able to prevent popping the tire? I didn't need Dimitri coming to my rescue and saving the day.

He dug into the glove box in order to retrieve the manual on the vehicle, ignoring my outburst. Apparently he was used to such things from me. The manual led us to the provided jack and spare tire. It also instructed us on how to retrieve said spare tire from underneath the vehicle. Apparently, it isn't an easy endeavor, not from looking at the pictures anyways. We had to move a lot of the packed supplies and provisions to even reach the jack and tools provided along with the SUV.

We divided up the work like the efficient team we have nearly always been. He got to work on jacking up the rear driver's side of the vehicle while I set out on retrieving the spare tire from underneath the vehicle. There were several confusing steps to take, which I completed after several missteps. Dimitri finished up his task, and aided me in my endeavor. After finally retrieving the spare from underneath the vehicle, we wheeled it over to the damaged side.

I watched as Dimitri skillfully removed the lug nuts, loosening the pitiful tire. He laid them neatly in a row in the pavement. He had a system. Part of me loved his methodical side. I usually flied by the seat of my pants for most things, unless they needed skilled plans (such as breaking Victor Dashkov out of prison). I was far from being OCD. I wouldn't even usually do the same thing the same way twice in a row. I was a fan of mixing things up to see if I would get different results. Or I would mix things up just because I could, or because I was bored. Dimitri on the other hand, found one way he really liked to do something, and then repeat it that way for eternity. That was, unless someone like me showed him a better way of doing said thing. He was methodical, precise, and efficient. There was something about this aspect of him that I found oddly comforting, soothing.

When all the lug nuts were unscrewed, he lifted the bad tire and set it aside. I helped him lift the fully inflated spare onto the SUV and secure it in place as he began reapplying all the lug nuts. Since the car was packed with our supplies, I began the process of storing the large tire under the car where the spare had been stashed. I figured out just how unpleasant that was. It was something I was glad that I didn't have to put up with on a daily basis.

I was just finishing up when I felt Dimitri come up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. He nuzzled into my neck affectionately, making my skin alight as if aflame. I didn't realize his ploy until it was too late. The keys snaked out of my jeans pocket, wrapped tightly in the long fingers of my Russian god. His smile was wide as he held them way above my head.

"Pickpocket!" I yelled in surprise, jumping for the keys. He leaned down and kissed me, still holding they keys high above me. It quieted my screams. So instead I switched tactics. I began pouting in a face that I knew was extremely difficult to resist. I jutted my plump bottom lip forward, showing him the best puppy dog eyes I could manage. The look on his face suggested that I had done a pretty damn good job. He was studying me intently, as if in awe.

"You're so goddamn beautiful." He murmured almost inaudibly. The arm around my waist rose to slowly caress my cheek, his eyes never leaving my face. "I should make you pout more often. It's sexy." He continued, breathless.

"Sexy?" I asked surprised. I spoke much louder than necessary. I was almost outraged that my pouting look was classified under sexy. That was not my desired effect! As much as I enjoy turning my lover on, I had hoped my womanly wiles would aid me in the return on the SUV keys. Apparently, I was unsuccessful. He deftly kept the keys out of my reach, while leading me to the passenger shotgun seat after successfully storing away the jack and other tools we had needed.

"Yes, Rose. You're always incredibly sexy. It's a wonder more men don't swoon over you. I'm surprised I don't have to fend them off with my stake." He teased, a warm smile gracing his handsome features. "It's my turn to drive, you need a break. You've been driving for hours." He continued.

I rolled my eyes. I suspected he just actually liked being the driver. I allowed him help me into the passenger seat, my actions flourished with extra attitude. I muttered something under my breath along the lines of 'make one mistake and the driving privilege gets pilfered'. Dimitri ginned knowingly. It wouldn't be a normal day without a Rose Hathaway running commentary.

It didn't take long for him slide gracefully into the driver's seat and continue on with our journey. He placed the radio on a station that played only hits from the 80's, an era I hadn't even known. He knew, however, that I preferred this to his other favorites, country songs. I quickly tired of doing nothing, so I pulled out the instructions for the last leg of our trip. There was no GPS destination for the Keepers. Sydney, an alchemist we knew decently well, had sent them to me. She had helped me in Russia, and even helped me while I was still considered a traitor to the crown. She was currently on assignment protecting Jill. It was one of the few things that helped me sleep soundly at night when it came to Jill. Sydney was a very capable person. She was reliable.

Which was why I was completely unsurprised when the directions were as detailed as possible. It was definitely a Sydney OCD thing. I was slightly surprised she hadn't labeled every bush that led us to our destination, calling each one out by numerical order. I committed the directions to heart, making it easier for me to guide Dimitri as soon as it was needed. It at least provided me something constructive to do for the remainder of the drive.

~oo0oo~

As much as I wished I could say time flew, it hadn't. Driving had been a wonderful distraction since I no longer had the ability to slip into Lissa's mind to pass the time. No. Now I got to sit in the passenger seat bored, attempting to tempt Dimitri to play road trip games with me. Finally, we were sitting in the grassy field where the Keeper's parked their beat up cars. We could vaguely make out the path in between the bushes and trees. Based on memory though, we remembered exactly where it was located.

Remembering the previous procedure, we took only our stakes along with us down the path, in case we ran into Strigoi. Normally the Strigoi left the Keepers alone, but it wasn't in our guardian nature to be caught unawares or unprepared. It wouldn't be safe to take any of our other supplies with us until we had properly announced ourselves either. We disappeared into the brush, moving slowly, but with purpose. I didn't have to see Dimitri full on to understand that we were on the same page. I could feel him beside me, and I could sense his movements and intentions. We were in tune to one another. We were using our heightened Dhampir senses to keep aware of our surroundings. I walked first down the narrow path, Dimitri deftly guarding my rear. If we were really suspecting on encountering enemies, I think Dimitri would have insisted going first, his fast reflexes attempting to protect me from harm. Besides, in this situation, I was regarded as somewhat of a local celebrity before we left. It would do well for the keepers to recognize me first.

We heard them before we saw them. Dimitri and I both froze as we heard telling signs of movement, probably humans who didn't share the same keen senses as either the Moroi or Dhampirs. Dimitri and I remained still, knowing a group of the Keepers were watching. My eyes remained sharp, darting to the accentuated shadows thanks to the darkness of night. The sun would be coming up soon, but there still wasn't a whole lot of light that could penetrate the woods at this time of the night.

Finally a fire crackled to life, temporarily making it hard to see until my eyes adjusted to the offending light. I could feel my pupils contracting swiftly, determined to refocus as quickly as possible. It was guardian nature to always react as quickly as possible. A Moroi held a ball of fire in his hand, using it as a torch.

"Well I'll be damned if it isn't Rose Hathaway." Remarked a voice I easily recognized. It was Raymond, the leader of this particular group of Keepers. He had welcomed us into his home the last time we had stumbled onto their territory. "This is an unexpected surprise. I truly wasn't expecting you to grace us with your presence again." He said with a small smile, the accent the same as ever. It was both southern American yet Russian or Romanian at the same time. It was rather unique to my ears.

"Are you always out patrolling your borders? Or do you just happen to pick the days where you can find me in your woods?" I asked with a teasing air. Both Dimitri and I had visually relaxed as soon as Raymond addressed us. We had left this group on good terms. There was no reason to expect conflict at the moment. As soon as Raymond had recognized me, I could see a series of reactions from the rest of the war party. First they relaxed. They tensed anxiously when Raymond had addressed me, as if hoping he were correct that I had returned. Finally they seemed happy or relieved upon my confirmation.

"As you know, we share duties around here. Although it is always a pleasure to stumble across a beautiful woman in these woods." Raymond chuckled, a smile gracing his lips that showed his fangs. It was a common sight around these Keepers, not so much back at Moroi court. He walked forward, shaking both mine and Dimitri's hands in a sign of friendship. "Pray-tell. What has brought you two back into this neck of the woods?" Asked Raymond, getting right to the point in a friendly way. I shifted a little uncomfortably. Noticing this, Dimitri took the lead.

"We were hoping to stay with your town for at least a few days. We have some business we wish to discuss with you, Raymond." Said Dimitri cryptically. I could see what Dimitri wasn't saying. We hoped for private conversations at first. It wasn't something that we hoped to voice in front of a crowd. I wondered if Raymond could see the messages in Dimitri's eyes that I could.

"You two are more than welcome to stay here. I'm sure we can make room for you in my house again." Said Raymond, staring into Dimitri's eyes wisely. He wouldn't push us for information so quickly.

"That's not necessary, Raymond." I said, butting in. "We actually came prepared this time, hoping you might let us stay a while. We brought equipment that is currently back in our SUV." I said, smiling. I didn't want to disturb Raymond's household a second time, not when we had other options this time around.

"Let us at least help you unpack your vehicle. We can help get you situated in an ideal location." Said Raymond kindly. I nodded, knowing just how much _stuff_ was packed into the SUV. Raymond started barking orders to the group. He sent one of the humans to run back and send orders to some who were not part of the war party. Some continued to scout the perimeter, while most of the group headed back to the clearing that contained the vehicles with Dimitri and me.

Small talk was made, including questions about what type of equipment we had brought with us. After learning we had brought a tent, Raymond decided to place us near his house, yet also a fair distance away for our own privacy. Everyone who was part of the group raided the SUV, grabbing equipment before making their way back down the path towards camp. I happened to grab the heavy bag that contained the shelter I would be relying on for the foreseeable future, our tent. Our group proceeded to walk back to the 'camp' in a single file line forced upon us by the lack of width the path provided. I followed the person in front of me and could feel Dimitri in close proximity behind me. This was boring work, yet it still had to be done. I couldn't wait until we had everything set up.

In what took entirely too long for my tastes, we finally reached camp. We skirted along the edges until we reached the spot Raymond had procured for us. It was close to the town center, yet far enough to keep us out of the center of attention. The cave dwellers had much further to walk than we did. I was pleased to hear that there was also a stream not too terribly far away. Maybe I wasn't doomed to walk around unbearably putrid this entire endeavor.

Dimitri volunteered his excellent tent building services and managed the small team that began setting up our new home base of operations. I had seen with my own eyes while we were on the road, just how fast Dimitri could set up a tent if I wasn't there to hinder the process. A select few decided to stay with him. Most were assigned to my group, the group emptying the SUV. Of course that meant a lot of walking back and forth. Oh how I wish we could have driven right up to the spot we were camping in, but the Keepers had made that impossible for a reason. They were intent on keeping their identity a secret from the rest of the world.

I was making my way back towards the path that would lead me to the SUV when I saw a familiar face racing up to me at full speed. It was a Dhampir I recognized with sandy hair and beautiful blue eyes. It was a striking combination. That didn't mean that I was happy about this encounter though.

"Rose!" The Dhampir yelled, winded from running. I stopped, smiling politely at the newcomer.

"Hello Joshua." I said kindly, even though this was a meeting I hadn't been looking forwards to.

"I always knew you would come back! I never gave up hope!" He said excitedly, although he was doubled over in attempt to get his breath back. _Someone must have informed him of my return._ I realized that he had come running the moment he had heard I was back.

"Well, I'm here." I said, letting out a sigh. I glanced back at Dimitri, who I could tell was keeping an eye on us. Our eyes met briefly, exchanging a wealth of messages in an instant. He could tell I didn't want to be cornered by this particular individual. I could see that he didn't approve of Joshua. It was no secret that Joshua had basically proposed to me upon my last and only visit to the Keepers. "It was nice seeing you again, Joshua, but I really have to go unpack the SUV." I said politely, turning from him to make my point.

"Oh! Let me help you." He replied, stepping into pace with me. I rolled my eyes, but didn't let him catch me doing it. I didn't really need to get on the leader's bad side but being disrespectful to his son.

"That's really not necessary. We have a bunch of people helping us." I said, a fake smile plastered on my face.

"We? Who's with you Rose?" Asked the blonde haired beauty. He was really too handsome for his own good, although he couldn't compare with Dimitri's chiseled features. _He doesn't realize that I didn't come alone. No one must have mentioned Dimitri's return._

"I came with Dimitri." I said simply, as if it were the most assumed thing in the world. There was no point in hiding it. He would see Dimitri soon anyways. Joshua's eyes seemed to darken at my comment, as if he hadn't enjoyed the news. We soon reached the path back to the parking clearing, and Joshua fell in step behind me. I wouldn't have gotten heartbroken if he had gotten lost, but I had no such luck. Unfortunately, letting him follow me hadn't been a wise decision. I should have made him walk in front of me. I could feel his eyes raking across my body, mostly settling on my ass and curvy hips. I curbed the impulse to turn around and punch him.

"I moved into my own cave." Said Joshua with pride, making small talk. "It's changed since the last time you saw it. I'd like to show you all the changes if you have some time while you're here." He said hopefully. I could hear it basically dripping from his voice. Part of me wanted to cringe. I remembered what happened the last time he showed me his cave. Luckily, I managed to control myself and look completely unphased by his comment. I used my acting skills, looking up into the trees as if contemplative.

"I don't know, Joshua. I think I'll be pretty busy." I said, sparing a glance behind me. I wasn't prepared for the emotion I saw filling his features. He almost looked crushed. "I guess we will have to see just how busy I am." I said quickly, regretting it almost the instant it escaped from my mouth. _Why? Why did I have to add that last part?_ I guess part of me couldn't stand crushing such a nice guy, even if his feelings were completely unreciprocated. His face lit up again.

It didn't take long for us to reach the SUV. The others in my group had been ahead of us. Their hands were now full of supplies from the SUV. They were heading back to the path, smiling at us knowingly. It was apparent everyone knew of Joshua's interest in me. As much as I wanted to glare at them, I remained diplomatic. _I'm here to do Lissa's bidding. Control yourself Rose._ Joshua followed me to the SUV. I grabbed my own bags this time. One of them was a small clutch like bag. It tumbled to the ground while I attempted to rearrange the remaining supplies. Once it hit the ground, it popped open. The reason the bag was so small was because it contained the few pieces of jewelry that I actually owned. I hardly ever wore jewelry anymore due to the physical demands of my occupation. It was nearly impossible for me to keep jewelry safe while it was on my person.

Now, I must have done something in the past to seriously piss off karma, because it was certainly against me at the moment. It must have been getting me back for some sort of egregious mistake I had committed. What else could have escaped my small clutch other than the bracelet Joshua had given me? It was a bracelet he had spent time carving himself.

Joshua noticed it immediately. He had been keeping an eye on me after all. Even though he wasn't a trained guardian, he still had the perception to see my bag falling. He squatted down, picking up the bracelet. When he looked up at me, I saw hope filling his eyes.

"You kept it." He said in a quiet voice. He straightened back up, still looking down at the bracelet. His eyes were big and full of emotions I certainly wasn't reciprocating at the moment. "You kept it and came back to me." He said again softly. I realized that he was taking this as a sign. A sign of something that was certainly not there.

I saw his next movements, but couldn't stop him in time. Even though I tried to block, I was still slightly pushed up against the side of the SUV, not that it had taken much to do so. I had been close to it anyways. It was supposed to be the precursor to a romantic gesture, one that I wished hadn't have happened. But like I said earlier, I couldn't stop him in time. His lips were pressed against mine before I could move away. So much for guardian speed. I guess it was still possible to catch us unaware. Then the events that were actually happening finally dawned on me.

Joshua was kissing me.

 **Oh no. Someone is kissing Rose other than Dimitri! Don't kill me. *Hides***

 **Please Review guys, I love hearing from you!**


	13. Chapter 13 Fat Lip

**Author's Note:**

I'm back! I had an absolutely wonderful vacation with my Fiancé! Unfortunately, I had zero time to write for you guys until I got back. Actually, most of this chapter I had written in attempts to post it before I left…. But as you can see, that didn't happen. I had to clean my house and pack before my Fiancé arrived. Life gets in the way sometimes.

 **Thank you to those who granted me warm wishes for my vacation! And thank you for those who have patiently waited for an update!** My Fiancé left late on the second of August, so I think I'm doing well to get this chapter up so quickly. Anyways, I genuinely adore my readers, so I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter.

Unfortunately, this chapter is unbeta'd. I was in too much of a rush to send it off. I wanted to post this chapter for you guys as soon as possible since ya'll have been so patient. So… please excuse any mistakes.

LOVE YOU GUYS!

 **Chapter 13**

My back was pressed up against the SUV; it was cool to the touch due to the night air. My lips were being assaulted by a pair of lips that were soft. Although they weren't as soft as Dimitri's. Dimitri. These weren't Dimitri's lips!

No. These lips belonged to a different Dhampir, Joshua. Joshua who I had tried being nice to, but didn't reciprocate his feelings. Joshua who I had tried to leave back at camp. Joshua who had insisted on following me to the SUV. Joshua who had found the bracelet he had carved for me. Joshua who had automatically taken it as a sign that I loved him. Joshua who was a fool.

There was only one way to react in a situation like this. I acted instinctually. I grabbed a fistful of his shirt right under his neck, slightly pushing him away from me. The moment his lips broke away from mine, my fist was flying towards his face. I swung hard, my instincts not holding back. Although I wasn't exactly aiming, my knuckles found a decent mark. My fist had collided with his nose and upper mouth. His nose immediately spurted out blood, some of it landing on me before he could pull himself away from my grip.

He was making sounds of pain as he doubled over, letting the blood free fall onto the grassy floor. Only an incredibly minute part of me felt bad for socking the poor guy. I had previously wanted to try to be nice to Joshua and attempt to put him down delicately. I was more worried though that this could negatively impact my mission here, since I was supposed to be playing diplomat to Joshua's father. I guess I would have to explain that there were some lines that could not be crossed. Kissing me, unprovoked, was one of those lines that I wouldn't tolerate being breached.

Most of me was irate. How dare he kiss me? Sure, I had kept the bracelet, but that was because I genuinely thought it was pretty. It wasn't because I harbored any feelings for Joshua other than friendship, although I was harboring quite a bit of frustration towards him at the moment.

"I think you broke my nose!" He exclaimed, still bent over. Blood was still dripping onto the grassy plain.

"You better be glad that is all I broke!" I snapped. I couldn't believe this guy. How could he be shocked that I had punched him after he assaulted me with his mouth? I saw his actions as completely unprovoked. "Don't you dare touch me ever again without my consent or your nose will be the least of your worries!" I shouted. He was still holding the bracelet. As far as I was concerned, it was more trouble than it was worth. I grabbed my clutch, placing it with the rest of my bags before I stormed away. I didn't care if Joshua followed or not. Unfortunately for me, he did follow. Although he was too busy clutching his face to grab any of the supplies left in the vehicle. I rolled my eyes since he couldn't see me. _Way to forget your original goal_.

He tried to get my attention, but I astutely ignored him. I had no interest in what he had to say at the moment. I had no tolerance for guys who pushed themselves onto women. I stomped back to the clearing that lead to the epicenter of the Keeper's town. Once Dimitri caught sight of me, it's like he could visually see the virtual thunder storm that was looming over my being. It only took a few of his long graceful strides to meet up with me.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concern lacing his voice. His eyes were darting all over, inspecting me for injury and examining our surroundings for danger. His eyes fell on Joshua's blood that had leaked onto me. I scrunched my nose up, thinking about what had transpired at the SUV. I decided to spare a glace back at Joshua who had gone a towards his father's house once we had exited the woods. Dimitri followed my gaze, his deep chocolate eyes landing on an obviously injured Joshua. People rushed to his aide. Just seeing him again caused me to remember the taste of his kiss. I spat the saliva coating my mouth on the ground as if it were still contaminated by Joshua. Dimitri raised his eyebrow as if amused.

"I'm guessing that you had something to do with that?" He asked, gesturing towards Joshua. I looked up into Dimitri's laughing eyes. I glared up at him, obviously not pleased by him finding the situation so humorous. _Maybe he wouldn't be laughing if he knew exactly what happened._ Dimitri took my glare as confirmation. He chuckled. It was a deep, rich sound that warmed my soul. It was amazing how the simplest things about Dimitri could affect me to my core. Not everyone could cause a chuckle from Dimitri like that. It had been an entirely rare occurrence while we had been stuck at St. Vladimir's.

"You might not be laughing if you knew what actually transpired." I said, narrowing my eyes at the handsome Adonis who stood before me. His face became more serious, his eyes tinted with a hint of curiosity.

"And what happened, pray tell?" Pried Dimitri, shifting closer to me. I tilted my head to the side a little before answering, preparing to observe Dimitri's response.

"Apparently someone is still harboring unrequited feelings and acted upon them." I spat, a scowl still hanging on my face. Dimitri immediately tensed, acting like he wanted to physically step between Joshua, who was immediately deemed a threat, and myself.

"And what did he attempt?" He asked stiffly, suddenly eyeing my spittle on the ground. Maybe he suspected it was a clue to the events he had missed.

"Let's just say that maybe I should have aimed a little bit lower. If I had knocked out a few teeth, maybe he would be less tempted to use the offending body parts on an unwilling woman." I said, a single dark laugh escaping my lips. Dimitri's head tilted in curiosity, his features still darkened with concern.

"So he attempted to kiss you?" Asked Dimitri, wanting confirmation in his suspicions. His voice was lower than usual, his accent a little more pronounced. I think Dimitri preferred the truth to be black and white, instead of me dropping hints. Another dark singular scoff escaped my lips.

"I probably wouldn't have had to actually punch him if it was just an attempt. I could have pushed him away, but no. There was full contact, and I couldn't allow that to go unpunished." I said, my mind now focused inwardly on the memory flitting across my brain. Dimitri emitted a low growl that was only for my ears. He was my alpha male, and I was his mate. Although I had my back turned towards camp, I saw Dimitri look behind me, presumably at Joshua. When I looked up at Dimitri, I was surprised to see a smirk gracing his lips. It was dark, almost sinister. I attempted, and failed to raise one of my eye brows.

"How good did you get him? From here it looks like he's still bleeding." He said, a hint of amusement showing in his voice. His eyes were still shady though, as if contemplating if Joshua was an actual threat or not. He should have known better, honestly.

"It was a pretty sound hit." I said, before grabbing my bags again and starting to continue the task of hauling them back to the newly erected tent. I was right, Dimitri was fast with his tent building skills, although this tent was more elaborate then the last one we had both used. Dimitri almost immediately caught up to me, taking one of my bags from me. It didn't take long for us to reach our new dwelling.

Supplies were scattered everywhere around the tent. Our helpers had been kind to deliver the equipment, but had no clue where to put them. I sighed, looking at the mess. This was one of the parts I disliked about things like this. I would much rather book a hotel where things were organized in advance than having to take care of it myself. I sighed, knowing there were still supplies back at the SUV. We had really packed too much.

"Why don't you stay here Milaya?" Dimitri asked, joining me in surveying our campsite. "I'll go retrieve the rest of our supplies." He volunteered. I looked up at him, my eyes narrowing slightly.

"You just want to keep me away from Joshua." I said slyly, calling him out. Dimitri blushed, which only encouraged me. "Afraid I won't continue to put him down, Comrade?" I teased.

"No." He immediately responded. "Although, if he touches you again, he will have a Russian inquisition to deal with." He was teasing, but I heard the seriousness behind his voice as well. Dimitri was a man who had a decent handle on his self-control, but I had seen it crumble before. Most of the time he prided himself on self-restraint, but I knew subconsciously he didn't always want to remain in control. I could see the way his eyes darkened every time he looked back towards the direction of Joshua. Now that we were actually dating, Dimitri had gotten even more protective of me.

In the end, I agreed to start organizing all the supplies. I internally was thankful for choosing a larger tent. It would also make staying here more bearable if we had to stay here for an extended period of time. I started by assembling the place where we would sleep. We had managed to procure a queen sized cot with a blow up air mattress. Unfortunately, it had to be a pump up mattress since the Keeper's didn't have electricity. By the time I had it assembled, Dimitri had already come back with more supplies and was headed back to the vehicle. There was another familiar face outside our tent though.

"I didn't even know you were back until I heard you punched my brother." Said the voice of Angeline. She surprised me, and I jumped in the slightest. Angeline was Joshua's sister. She had fought me last time when she thought I wanted to marry her brother. It was a sore point in my history, although I had won the fight.

"Well, I wasn't exactly trying to announce my presence quite yet. I was more worried about settling in." I said, grabbing some boxes and pulling them inside the tent. They contained a small propane stove and some rations. Angeline grabbed another box and followed me, apparently volunteering her services.

"So you thought the best way to remain under the radar was to start a fight? Doesn't sound very smart to me." She said. She was never one to sensor what she said, and now was no different.

"I didn't start a fight. I only punched someone who deserved it." I huffed while storing supplies. She stopped and looked up at me. I continued my chore.

"And what did he do to deserve it?" She queried. She stood firm in her stance as she stared me down. It was a natural demeanor of hers. I had heard she could be quite a bully. I think she portrayed herself this way as a second nature now. I attempted to raise an eyebrow and failed. Damn Russian and his eyebrow talents.

"He kissed me" I said softly, not wanting to admit it to his sister. I rather wished it could just be a forgotten topic now, although I knew that wasn't going to happen. No doubt too many people had seen him bleeding.

"No fuckin way." She said, flabbergasted. "My brother actually got the balls to kiss you? He has this huge crush on you." She said, that gob smacked tone still accentuating her voice. She was looking at me unbelievingly too. I was personally weirded out now. Since when were Angeline and I on good terms? She had never been so forthcoming with information before. I looked at her suspiciously. I wasn't too keen on trusting this strawberry blonde firecracker just yet, even if she had treated me like such a familiar figure.

I turned, going back to putting supplies away while keeping tabs on her out of the corner of my eye. She kept staring at me like I had said something preposterous. I managed to put away several boxes of supplies before she seemingly reanimated. Apparently it had taken her a while to process the information and its implications. Her eyes finally darted around the tent. They landed and stayed on our single cot.

"Isn't that big guy here with you again? What was his name…. Dimitri?" She asked. I looked up at her and nodded, going back to my chore. "But then why is there only one bed-" She started. She stopped when Dimitri stiffly entered the tent. When he saw Angeline, he visibly relaxed. My guess was that he could tell two people were in the tent and was afraid Joshua had come back to assault me again.

"Everything alright in here?" He asked, his eyes on me. He hadn't forgotten that the last time we had been here, Angeline had picked a fight with me.

"Yeah. Just peachy." I responded, my voice neither sarcastic nor happy. Angeline looked from Dimitri to me and then to the bed. I saw the recognition flash in her eyes as she started putting clues together. She gave me a look that I couldn't read. I didn't exactly know the girl very well, after all. I did, however, notice a mischievous glint in her eye. After all my experiences with her, I couldn't help but think it was something that was going to bite me in the ass one of these days.

"I'll leave you two to finish unpacking." She said before abruptly leaving. Both Dimitri and I stared after her, almost bewildered. Apparently I wasn't the only one who was under the impression that Angeline was acting strange. I had been surprised that she had come to find me initially, none the less stayed and chatted. I couldn't help but think that she was up to something.

Dimitri informed me that the SUV was now empty, and aided me in unpacking all of our supplies. It was a boring task in which I took zero pleasure. I was, however, cheered up when Dimitri decided to cook a light dinner for us. It was late, and many people were heading to bed. We hadn't exactly eaten much besides snacks since breakfast though. Frankly, after all the sweets I had inhaled, I was thankful for some real sustenance to fuel my body.

Raymond stopped by while we were eating in order to invite us to breakfast the following morning. Although he must have known by now that I punched his son, he acted as if nothing happened. I suddenly remembered when Sydney had called this group of people savage. Maybe people getting beat up was a regular occurrence around here.

When we were finally able to turn in for the night, I was extremely thankful for the privacy of our own tent. It had seemed like weeks since our fight about Irina, when in reality it had just been last night. I don't think I was the only one who felt thankful when Dimitri and I crawled into bed together. It was a relief to feel his body close to mine although we had only spent one night apart. So much had happened in one day, and our future was nothing but uncertain at this point. I had no clue how negotiations would go with the Keepers. If today was going to serve as an indication of how future events would play out, then Dimitri and I were in for a lot of trouble.

Dimitri pulled me closer to him, wrapping his arms around me. I couldn't help but smile as I felt his entire body curling around mine. It made me feel safe and warm, even out in the middle of nowhere. It was a protective, possessive embrace yet it felt amazing. Neither of us had slept well the previous night, but tonight was a completely different story. Wrapped in his embrace and ambrosial scent, I easily drifted off into a deep slumber. Sleep I might need in order to deal with my upcoming day to day troubles with the Keepers.

~ooo0ooo~

I awoke to the Russian's eyes caressing my face. His gaze was gentle and caring, as if committing my features to memory. I couldn't help but smile up at the man who had stolen my heart. He still looked at me in admiration after nearly a year of spending time together. Part of me was always afraid that would fade for him, although I knew he would always awe me. He was too handsome, too graceful for his own good. No one else could make me weak in the knees like Dimitri can. I could appreciate other handsome men in the world, but Dimitri was like my own personal poison. One glance from him could affect me in ways no other man can.

After spending entirely too long in bed waking up in each other's arms, we finally got ready for the day. After exhausting a fair amount of time grumbling about the lack of running water in our quarters, I finally made it to the stream with my tooth brush. Later today I would have to make it my mission to transport potable water to the tent. Oh how I am not looking forward to chores! As I furiously brushed my teeth I thought about what tasks might be asked of me while temporarily living in this community. I hoped they would give me more physical tasks rather than typical girl chores. The physicality of a task would ease my frustration. I just knew I was going to desperately miss technology.

By the time I was returning to the tent, Dimitri was headed to the stream to accomplish the same task I had. I continued cleaning up, trying to tame the unruly curls in my long dark mane. I was already missing my bathroom.

Dimitri and I headed to Raymond's house together. Raymond had invited us to breakfast this morning. By morning, I mean the vampiric morning. The Keeper's abided by the vampire schedule. There was no way the Moroi in the group would be able to comfortably accomplish their chores during the heat of the day.

When we reached the house, Dimitri politely knocked on the door. It was his human wife, Sarah, who answered the door, smiling widely. After greeting us, she continued to set their table, their children bustling about aiding their mother. Raymond was hunched over the fireplace cooking something that looked similar to sausage.

The smell suddenly floated into my nostrils, causing my stomach to lurch. My hand immediately flew to my mouth. My gag reflex involuntarily kicked into effect. I immediately darted back out of the house, flying to a nearby bush. I heaved, emptying the contents of my stomach again and again into the leafy shrub. Dimitri was seconds behind me, defenses high. As soon as I started vomiting, he grabbed my hair, holding it for me. He was good for things like that.

He slowly rubbed my back as my body finally started ceasing its' involuntary motions. I was on my hands and knees in front of this bush that I had emptied my bowel into. I absolutely abhorred vomiting.

"Did you manage to catch a stomach bug?" He asked, his voice full of concern. He knew as well as I that Dhampirs didn't get sick very easily. Part of me wanted to glare at him for something that seemed apparent to me.

"Seems to be the obvious culprit." I responded, clearly unimpressed. I finally sat back, my stomach content to stay still for once. "Can you go apologize for me while I go brush my teeth again? I didn't think about bringing something like mouthwash here. I'll be back as soon as I can." I said, feeling put out. Dimitri asked several more questions first, my health an apparent concern for him now. Although, now that I had no contents weighing down my stomach, I felt significantly better. Actually, I didn't feel bad at all anymore. Weird.

Finally, he set off back to Raymond's house while I made my way back to our tent. Luckily, it wasn't too awfully far. The wheels in my mind were spinning now that I was alone and mechanically going through the everyday motions of brushing my teeth.

I had technically died twice in my life already. Spirit's darkness had also been a major impact on my life in recent years. Could any of that permanently changed my life? Could it override my natural Dhampir genes that kept me from usually getting sick? Was something wrong with me now that I am no longer bonded to Lissa? My thoughts and fears were getting progressively darker as I finished brushing my teeth again, and headed back to Raymond's home. I knew that vomiting wasn't necessarily something to be ashamed of, but with the fears bustling around in my head I found myself embarrassed as I reentered the house.

Dimitri had saved me a seat next to him, and rose as soon as I entered. Everyone else seemed to have a smile on their face, save Joshua, who managed to sit far away from me. After making sure I was firmly in my seat, Dimitri sat next to me. He was sure being chivalrous today. Maybe I shouldn't be suspicious about that behavior. This is Dimitri we are talking about.

"I'm sorry about earlier." I said, wanting to get that out of the way as soon as possible. Raymond turned his smile on me.

"It's nothing to be sorry for. It happens to our human brethren on occasion too." He responded kindly. It still caused me to flinch internally. Human. He just compared me to a human.

"Do you want to try to eat, or would you rather refrain if your stomach is acting up?" Asked his wife, Sarah, unaware to my reaction to her husband's previous statement.

"I wouldn't mind testing out some food on my stomach if you still have some available." I said nicely, smiling at her. She had never been anything but kind to me, and I appreciated her gestures. Polite chit chat ensued amongst the others while I was brought a plate of food. It looked delicious. Sure, it didn't have the composure of a five star restaurant, but it looked like tasty breakfast. No opossum here. I couldn't help but leak a small smile thinking about my food fears on my last trip here. I got over it relatively fast though. I've always been a big eater.

I tentatively nibbled on some bread that had been provided before moving on to braver selections like the eggs and sausage. My stomach gave no new signs of discontentment, and I quickly finished my plate. In fact Dimitri was looking at me astounded as he continued the conversation with our hosts.

"You never cease to amaze." Dimitri said softly. I heard a collective chuckling from around the table. I jerked my head up.

"Hmm?" I asked, after being pulled out of my own little food inclusive world. It had tasted so good, as if I had been starved and it was exactly what my body needed in order to survive. It's amazing how something so simple can taste so ambrosial. I had stopped mid chew when my head jerked up. I was suddenly aware of my surroundings again which consisted of Raymond's family watching me inhale my food.

"Less than half an hour ago you emptied your stomach, and now you're eating like nothing happened." Continued Dimitri. I shrugged confidently.

"You know me, I can't operate cohesively on an empty stomach." I said, smiling. Dimitri, along with others at the table, shook his head at me. Raymond seemed to be enjoying the exchange, welcoming talented warriors into his house. Joshua, on the other hand, sulked at his end of the table. I surveyed him well for the first time since last night. I had most definitely given him a fat lip. His upper lip was at least double, if not triple, its normal size. I could also see bruising around his nose. I had punched him pretty hard though. Raymond caught on to my line of sight.

"I bet you'd still be able to throw punches like that on an empty stomach." He said, watching my reaction. His eyes were smiling. I shrugged again, smiling back at him.

"I don't ever risk it if possible." I responded. I could hear Dimitri's chuckle beside me. It was a deep, sonorous sound that wrapped around me like a warm blanket. Oh how I loved that sound. It was a very relaxing atmosphere, despite the fact that I had beaten up one of the members currently residing around the table. Seasoned fighters such as Dimitri and myself were valuable commodities in communities like this. It was why we had been welcomed back with open arms.

"Did you kill the Strigoi you were hunting?" Asked Raymond, the mood perceivably shifting in the room. I looked up at him confused for a moment, before remembering why we had left to begin with. When we left the Keepers the first time, we had been on our way to Lexington, Kentucky in order to get more information on Sonya Karp.

"Oh, yeah. Of course we did." I said nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal. In all reality, it no longer felt like a big deal to me. But then again, I had killed more Strigoi in the past year than most guardians killed in their entire life. I was quickly becoming known as deadly. The children's eyes around the table all became saucers, wide with excitement.

"How many were there? Was it easy?" Asked Angeline, obviously wanting to know more about the battle.

"There were three. We took them down as a team, efficient as usual." Replied Dimitri, short and to the point. He wasn't the type to emphasize or exaggerate the details on a Strigoi kill. Of course, he wasn't usually the chatty type in general.

"Alright, if you don't want to talk about that, why don't we talk about how you have managed to continue to get away from all the guardians looking for you after you killed the Tainted Queen." Said Angeline, not happy with our evasiveness.

I froze.

 **Please Review. I absolutely adore hearing from you!**


	14. Chapter 14 Alleged Queen Assassin

**Author's Note:**

Several of my reviewers like to guess what is coming up in my stories. Over time, some of you have been right, and some have been incorrect. If you ever wonder why I don't address such theories, it's because I don't like to give spoilers. I believe in life some events will drops you hints as long as you're open to seeing them. Other events fall upon you like a ton of bricks. In life there usually isn't someone to tell you your concrete future. So I **like** it when you guys guess, but I won't be giving away the plot to my story ;)

By the way…. I'm completely addicted to **Swimming the Same Deep Waters** new story _I never told you I love you_. If you haven't read it, you certainly should. She's an updating Queen, and it has become a daily addiction of mine to read her newest update. I'm enjoying this story even more than her last one, which I didn't even think possible. So, go check it out guys. On the subject of passing on good stories to my readers, have ya'll read **HBarker** 's stories? She has two. One is finished and very well written. Her new story, _Thief of Hearts_ , is amazing! It has 11 chapters, all which I have read since I last updated. I personally can't wait for her updates as well. They are two amazing writers for whom I harbor a lot of respect.

 **Chapter 14**

I knew that this was going to be a topic at some point, although I hadn't quite figured out how to address it. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that it was Angeline who boldly bounded into the subject.

This topic in particular I was nervous about. Sydney had let this group believe on our last visit that I had killed the Queen, and this time I would have to set the record straight. It had earned me a fair amount of respect I hadn't earned from the Keepers, although my fighting record was excellent anyways. Exposing myself as being untruthful to them wasn't exactly an easy act to accomplish though, particularly when I knew firsthand how violent they could be. I finally decided to stick to typical Rose Hathaway behavior- launching in and thinking about it later.

"Alright, so we do have a story to tell. It might take a while, because it ties into why we came back and the things we would like to discuss with you Raymond." I started, looking towards the leader. He had his elbows on the table. His fingers were intertwined together except for his pointer fingers, which were pointing straight up. His chin casually rested on those two fingers as he gazed towards Dimitri and me thoughtfully.

"Let's get this show on the road." He drawled in that accent particular to the Keepers. There was some shifting at the table. Sarah pushed the two youngest children outside. It was probably better for them to be playing outside anyways than listening to official business around a table. I shouldn't have been surprised that both Angeline and Joshua stayed, along with Paulette, Sarah and Raymond. Although Raymond had final authority on any subject, it appeared that he didn't mind his family to hear his business. He might even value their opinion.

I looked at Dimitri, once again exchanging messages with only our eyes. Those twin pools of chocolate expressed so much. I could read an entire novel from those depths. It was known without words that he would have my back, no matter the situation. He was there to support me. He was the ying to my yang. I could completely loose myself in those eyes. I nodded, bringing myself back to the real world. A world with the entire table watching Dimitri's and my actions. I suddenly wondered how I had settled into a leadership position as I prepared to speak. I had, after all, agreed to come to the Keepers to support Dimitri. Now here I was, about to take the lead in the difficult conversation. I channeled Lissa's conversational and ambassadorial skills as I began to open my mouth.

"The first time we met, I was on the run for allegedly killing Queen Tatianna." I started. I heard an intake of breath from Angeline. I think she suspected where this conversation was headed. "I blew our original hideout while fighting with this Russian Jailer beside me." I continued, motioning with my head towards Dimitri. I had managed to keep a straight face. I spared a side long glance at him and saw a sly smile creeping over his lips. I'm glad he found the colloquialism comical. "Sydney, our Alchemist, decided that taking our chances with you accepting us short term was our next best plan of action." I said continuing on with the story.

"Did or did you not kill the Tainted Queen?" Interrupted none other than Angeline in her southern lilt. I really wasn't appreciating the mouth on that girl at the moment.

"No. I was framed." I started clearly yet firmly. I heard another collective intake of breaths. I could tell they all felt lied to. I hurried to continue before someone else decided to weigh in with their opinions. "I'm not exactly the most well behaved guardian of all times. I have several black marks on my records. I can be belligerent when I want to. I had been seen verbally sparing with the late Queen in public on many occasions, which led me to being the perfect scapegoat for her murder. Of course it didn't help that I was dating her great nephew at the time, and rumor around court said she detested our relationship."

"So someone made it look like you killed the Queen, when you didn't?" Angeline persisted, talking slowly yet accusatorily. I nodded my head in acquiescence.

"Yes. They made all the evidence point to me. I was arrested and on the short track to an execution. That was before my friends, including this big lug beside me, staged a prison break. Most of my friends stayed back at court searching for evidence to help my case, while I started my own quest on the outside." I continued, obviously enjoying coming up with new adjectives to describe Dimitri. They weren't lost on him either. I enjoyed the look on his face that I could see in my peripheral vision.

"You were trying to prove you were innocent while you were here with us last time?" Asked Joshua, in a confused nature. I stifled a laugh as his fat lip impeded his ability to talk without hindering his natural lilt.

"No, I decided and persuaded Dimitri and Sydney to accompany me on another mission. I don't know how much you understand about court politics, but my best friend Lissa was the last of her royal line. She couldn't have a voice in deciding laws that affected our world. She no longer had a family, and thus couldn't fill in for her family. I went in pursuit of her younger sister, a sibling no one knew about until I brought her to light." I summed up as clearly as I could. By the looks of confused faces around the room, it appeared I had failed. "Lissa's father had another child with another woman. They went through extensive steps to ensure her patronage would remain a secret." I finished.

"We were looking for this child when we left here." Concluded Dimitri, in his brisk way. I rolled my eyes over to my lover, my face showing my displeasure of him being able to sum up my dialog so quickly.

"So are you still on the run from guardians, and that is why you have returned?" Asked a not so happy looking Angeline.

"No." I answered yet again. "We managed to find enough evidence to clear my case after we found Lissa's sister. It just all happened in a very dramatic fashion." I stated vaguely. The blank faces staring back at me informed me that I wasn't going to be able to get away with that.

"I feel like you're leaving out some vital information." Said Raymond quietly. I looked at him and sighed.

"What you have to understand is that it was a very complicated period in my life." Although, thinking back, I've had several very complicated periods in my life. Hell, we could just call my whole life complicated at this point. "I was going to die at court for a murder I didn't commit. By running, I made myself look guilty. All the guardians had permission to kill me on site if I couldn't be brought in alive. In the meantime, my friends needed time back at court to find the real killer. Time was a commodity they didn't have, unfortunately. So they made some in the only way possible. We ran Lissa as a contender for Queen, although at the time, she would be ineligible because she had no family. The law stated she could run, but couldn't win." I started.

"This Lissa was part of those elections?" He asked, saying the last word like it left a bad taste in his mouth. The elections were one of the traditions where Keeper's strayed away from the Moroi world I had grown up in.

"Yes. The people in court fought about her candidacy, creating more time for my friends to gather information on the true identity of the murderer." I stopped and paused, preparing myself for the next section of the explanation. I could feel everyone watching me. I could also feel the tension radiating around the room. Sometimes it was difficult to learn the world or people are different than how we perceived them.

"We then preceded to break into court wearing magic disguises. We took Lissa's sister with us, proclaiming her part of Lissa's family. People there backed up our story. I felt like I had to face my accusers, so in front of the entire court and guardians in attendance, I ended my magical charade. Once I no longer was magically concealed, the guardians swooped down upon Dimitri and me. I did manage to oust the actual murderer in the process though. In desperation, she managed to get ahold of a guardian's gun and ended up firing at Lissa. I reacted instinctually, just like all my training had prepared me for. I took a bullet for my Moroi, for Lissa. I died." I finished, almost cheerily, acting like it was the end of the story. My story was informative and lacked flourish. It was met with blank stares. I could tell they couldn't quite comprehend it all. If I was dead, how was I seated in front of them, telling a story?

"But you're alive." Stated Angeline simply, staring at me as if I were sporting two heads. I shrugged.

"A medical team worked on me. I went into surgery and they prepared the way for me to fight for my life. I died for a time, but apparently I wasn't ready to leave Lissa and Dimitri alone to their own devices. Although I was unconscious, I felt like they still needed some Rose Hathaway supervision." I said smirking, glancing over at Dimitri. His sonorous chuckle wrapped around me like velvet.

"I don't know if the world is ready for Rose Hathaway logic." He joked, his eyes filled with humor and so much more as he looked over at me.

"So…. You died, but now you're alive." Stated Angeline, confirming the conversation for her own thoughts. I nodded.

"I died doing my duty, a good guardian isn't afraid of death." I said stoically, almost zoning out for a moment.

"I think several of us would rest more smoothly if you were slightly more afraid of death." Commented Dimitri, his voice soft but meaningful. "Or if death were more afraid of you." He finished off quietly. I could tell that he didn't exactly like my comment. I felt his body tense up beside me, concern for my wellbeing manifesting physically. At the other end of the table, Joshua grunted in agreement to Dimitri's words, probably afraid of voicing the same opinion himself. It was Raymond who spoke next.

"I see you are no longer suffering from such a life altering wound. How has life led you to us since you've been shot?" He asked, his eyes carefully studying Dimitri and me. He was absorbing as much information as he could while remaining perceptive. He knew our story wasn't finished. We had to be here for a reason. We had given him reason to believe that our visit had a motive. While he was more than willing to listen to us so far, he was still interested in hearing the story in totality. I cast my eyes down at the table, not knowing how they would feel about this next part.

"I awoke several days later, after fighting my way back into this world-" I started. It was Dimitri cutting me off.

"You're always fighting Rose, dead or alive." He joked. I could see the affection in his eyes, hear it in his voice. Of course, it wouldn't hurt to play up my fighter persona around this group

"Yeah, well, I don't usually feel like I've been run over by a train when I awake from fighting a battle in life. Coming back from the dead is harder than it sounds!" I almost whined. This got several outright laughs from around the table _. Yes, because every assumed that coming back from death was an easy feat._ Great, I'm even making sarcastic comments to myself now.

"Anyways, I was out for several days, and apparently a lot of things happened. Firstly, the new monarch was elected." During my pause, I heard grumbling around the table about the blasphemy of an elected Monarch. "Lissa was elected Queen." I continued slowly and resolutely. Several shocked faces looked back at me followed by silence hanging in the air. They understood by now that Lissa was someone important to me. Their silence was music to my ears. It meant that I still held respect in their eyes, although I wasn't the Queen killing radical they originally thought I was. However, I was still a fighter, and a damn good one at that. I would have wagered that I held more molnija marks than anyone in their village. Their respect would be key in any future negotiations, especially once the truth was all out in the open.

"After literally dying for Lissa, they saw fit to make me her official guardian, although now she has a whole fleet of personal guardians." I continued, although pausing now. I knew I had to address Raymond's question. "We have come as ambassadors for Her Majesty Queen Vasilisa Sabina Rhea Dragomir." I stated officially. I heard Raymond sucking in air through his teeth.

"You never said she was a dragon." He said softly, his southern drawl clearly audible. I tilted my head to the side, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Does it matter?" I asked skeptically. I hadn't exactly expected that as a reaction.

"The Dragomirs are an ancient family that raised many Kings and Queens still respected by my people. These Kings and Queens made their impression upon us before we ever split from the Tainted. They were known for being exceptionally strong, yet also champions for their people. I do not know this Dragon in particular, but it seems she has won over your heart." He said slowly, as if the words came from a place deep within him.

"Lissa is one of the best people I have ever known, Queen or otherwise." I confirmed confidently. I had no problem meeting his eyes. I was about to continue when Raymond shifted his weight in his chair, holding up his hand.

"I think that's enough for today. You have told us your story. As ambassadors for the Queen, you must have other subjects you wish to address about my people. I see no other reason she would send you to us. Normally, we wouldn't hear anything out from a Tainted Monarch, so this puts us in a rather unique situation. If I am going to hear out what your Queen has to say, then I want you to spend several days amongst my people. I can only assume anything a Queen could want would end up affecting their lives. If you, as her ambassadors, are going to affect their lives in any way, you should get to know them first. Plus this gives us all time to adjust to the truth of the situation. Although you aren't a Tainted Queen Assassin, you will still hold respect amongst my people for your capabilities alone." Raymond finished. He continued his slow talking pace, his words important for us to hear. I glanced over at Dimitri, exchanging novels in seconds.

"We have no problem staying for a while. The ball is in your court Raymond, we shall play the game as you ask." I said coolly, smiling widely.

"Not that we're playing games. She's using a metaphor." Covered Dimitri, obviously afraid that Raymond would think we were playing political games with him. I sighed, glancing back at the giant next to me. Although he hadn't spoken much, I had been very appreciative to have his presence near me. In the end, I guess it had been my story to tell since I had masterminded a good part of it. Raymond snapped me out of my own little world.

"After a few days we will see just how perceptive my people are." He said cryptically. It sent chills down my spine.

~oo0oo~

 **Hey guys, sorry this chapter is a little shorter than normal. I was either going to have to make it exceptionally long, or stop here. I thought you guys might appreciate a quicker chapter rather than a longer one.**

 **Please REVIEW! I love it when I hear from you!**


	15. Chapter 15 Gallon of Jizz

**Author's Note:**

Sorry that it's been a while since I updated. Unfortunately, life got in the way, and I battled with a little bit of writer's block. I knew exactly how I want this chapter to proceed, and where I'm planning on going from here, I just had a hard time articulating these ideas. I'm back, though! I'll be updating slowly for around a month or so, though. I have some testing to complete. I'll let yall know. But never fear, I will always come back!

I have started writing on my second story. This means my writing time is split between this story and Depravity. I'm not mentioning it here in attempts for you guys to read it. It's an increasingly dark story which I believe is not meant for everyone. I only mention it so you guys can start to understand part of the hold up on this chapter.

 **TO MY FELLOW WRITERS** : Have you guys discovered/ downloaded the free version of Grammarly? I downloaded it halfway through this chapter, and I love it! It caught a lot of the problems I was having with using the wrong word. An example would be ten and tent. Microsoft word never catches it because they are both correct words, but two different meanings. Grammarly catches things like that 3

We are at 99 reviews, let's make 100! Oh yeah. I rewarded ya'll with a Lemon for being so patient.

 **Chapter 15**

After being excused from Raymond's house, Dimitri and I started walking to our own tent. We moved as one, our strides unintentionally in sync. Silence hung between us, but it was comfortable, knowing even. We had accomplished much today. Yeah, we hadn't been able to express Lissa's wishes to Raymond, but I counted it as a success that we weren't thrown out of camp. I imagine these people wouldn't take to deception nicely. I hadn't outright lied to them since I hadn't claimed to actually kill Tatiana, but Sydney hadn't let me deny it earlier. These people believed I was capable of murder.

I frowned inwardly, my thoughts growing darker. Technically I was capable of murder. Although we didn't consider killing Strigoi murder, I had killed Victor- a Moroi. It may have been an accident caused by an outburst of spirit darkness, but he was still dead by my hand.

As if being able to sense the darkness cloaking my mind, I felt Dimitri ever so gently grab my arm. It caused me to resurface back to reality. Our feet stopped virtually at the same time as we turned towards one another slightly. I looked up into his eyes. Those warm chocolate orbs were overrun with concern for me. He may not have known what I was thinking, but he was exceptionally perceptive to my emotions. Right as Dimitri opened his mouth to speak, someone spoke for him.

"I knew when you were here last time that you couldn't have killed the queen." Said a redhead who was already on my nerves today, her southern drawl not hiding in the slightest. Angeline. Both of my eyebrows rose since I was physically unable to raise just one.

"What, because I'm too prim?" A challenged dripped off my voice. I hated how Angeline considered me prim last time I was here. I had spent my entire life growing up around royals. I had never in my life been prim in comparison to them.

"You're too soft." She said simply. It was Dimitri who rose his eyebrow this time.

"If I remember correctly, and I do have an impeccable memory, Rose won last time you fought." Stated Dimitri, his body somewhere in between being relaxed and tense for action. He wasn't exactly considering Angeline a threat, but his body language suggested that he hadn't completely ruled it out either.

"Everyone gets lucky." She stated bumptiously, acting as if I had just pinned her as a fluke. I couldn't help but smile. This girl had attitude and grit, much like myself.

"Well, we could have a planned fight this time. You know, test our skills by the fire a little later; give everyone a little show." I said haughtily, my smile confident as ever. Although Angeline got on my nerves, there were attributes she possessed that I couldn't help but admire. She stood up taller, her hands on her hips.

"As long as you understand that this time, I won't lose. I've been practicing." She stated, confident in her abilities.

"Good, I'll be interested to see the improvements," I stated. I think she had been hoping to rattle me a little, but it took much more than that to get under my skin.

"So how long is a little later?" Angeline asked with her typical attitude. For me, it showed just how young she really was.

"Don't worry, I'll be there. If I didn't show up, it's not like you don't know where I'm sleeping tonight anyways." I said, lazily gesturing in the direction of my tent. "I've still got some things to do before I can hang out at the communal bonfire." I finished. She raised an eyebrow curiously, almost as if she was going to ask me for a copy of my schedule for the day. Suddenly, it appeared that she got a brilliant idea, her face lit up. Then, in another moment it was gone, she had pushed it away. As much as I was curious what thought would have illuminated her features like that, I was also afraid to ask. I never knew what she might be thinking.

"Alright." She said, her voice hard. "I'll see you at the bonfire." She strode away and I hated to think of what type of trouble she might be stirring up. Beside me, I heard Dimitri chuckle. It was a deep melodious sound that felt like it carried my heart away. It at least made my heart flutter.

"What's so funny?" I asked, attempting to portray a sassy tone. I was pretty sure my eyes gave me away though. Dimitri was smiling. It brightened his features, turning his rugged handsomeness into a drooling drop dead gorgeous glamour. There was no doubt about it, my boyfriend was alluringly provocative, his physical features calling out to women like a storybook siren. How I had managed to nail him down into a relationship was a miracle. _Hell, it had taken a miracle in order to be in a relationship with him, otherwise I would be dating a Strigoi_. No, I had already figured out that Strigoi Dimitri was someone I couldn't actually be with. Luckily, I didn't have to worry about that anymore.

"In some ways, she reminds me of you." He said softly, leaning down to slowly caress my cheek with the back of his fingers. I looked up at him horrified. Angeline and I are similar? Who could think that?

"Wh-What?" I managed to splutter out. Yes, Angeline was a scrapper, but she was wholly different than me.

"You're both confident, willful, and natural fighters." He started. I tried to interrupt on his last point, but he kept going. "No, she is a natural fighter. She has had no professional training and yet she managed to give you a run for your money last time. Although, I still believe you were holding back because you didn't want to hurt her. Regardless, she has natural talent. Imagine how she could fight if she was trained properly. She also says whatever is on her mind, much like someone else I know. Someone who isn't afraid to say things others won't say." He finished, a sly look crossing his features. I definitely caught the hint. That was one of my trademark characteristics after all. I narrowed my eyes at him, although my thoughts were flashing back to the conversation he had with Kirova in her office when he first brought be back to St. Vladimir's. Those words that had been used to describe me, could also describe Angeline. Most of them anyways. After all, I didn't know her personally. I had only really known her for a few days. Silence lingered in the air as I kept up my narrowed stare.

"I have become more refined." I finally retorted, tilting my nose into the air and looking away from his curiously handsome features. His chuckle wrapped around me again, sliding across my skin in a sensual way.

"You have grown into a graceful, beautiful young woman." He conceded, once again stroking my cheek with the back of his fingers. Electricity sparked between us at the smallest touch, and I was surprised it wasn't visible to the naked eye.

"Well, that was to be expected," I replied haughtily. Once again my usual Rose Hathaway bravado was surfacing. Although I had frequently questioned myself throughout my life, I had always been confident in my looks. I felt Dimitri's presence slowly leaning closer to my own. I couldn't help but smile as I realized that my Russian god was leaning down to press those supple lips against my own. It was amazing how his smallest of actions or merely his presence could affect me so powerfully. Suddenly, a mischievous smile graced my features as I slipped beyond his reach. Dimitri's eyes fluttered open, surprise filling them. There hadn't been very often during our relationship, or lack thereof, where I would have turned down Dimitri's kisses. My smile only widened at the shock filling his features. I skipped away from him merrily. I've got to keep him on his toes. Can't get too complacent.

I had skipped all the way back to the tent, receiving some weird stares from surrounding Keepers. Was I too joyous? Possibly, especially when compared to the Keepers. I looked around the outside of our tent and found one item I had been looking for. It was a rather large barrel that was used more of a hollow giant wheel. It had a bar that connected on either side of the barrel, coming up in a rather large U shape. The bars made for a rather efficient handle. This contraption was currently frequently used in third world countries where finding drinking water was a troublesome ordeal. Families no longer had to carry small amounts of water back and forth, now they can fill these drums and just wheel it back and forth to home. I was going to use it in the same capacity. I quickly grabbed the handle and started pushing it down to the stream bed I had found earlier that morning. I managed to leave the tent before Dimitri caught up with me. For some reason, this pleased me. I did enjoy doing things on my own from time to time. I am an independent woman after all.

I made it down to the stream bed, filled up the barrel, and pushed it back to our tent. When I came into view of our lodgings, the look on Dimitri's face suggested that he had indeed been looking for me. He stood in front of the tent with his feet planted shoulder length apart, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He looked formidable. I knew by glancing at him that his was a particularly stable stance. I guess it was a good thing that I wasn't currently attempting to fight him. Instead, I plastered an innocent expression on my face as I stopped my full barrel right at his feet.

"What's the matter, Comrade?" I asked, my tone just as innocent as the expression on my face. Although his physical mannerisms appeared intimidating in nature, his face portrayed a rather amused expression.

"You couldn't have at least informed me of your plans before disappearing?" He asked, ignoring my question. Even now, after all this time, his Russian accent thrilled me. I couldn't get enough. It was a sound that I hope to hear throughout my entire lifetime. I couldn't help but smile at the sexy Russian standing before me.

"Nope." I answered simply, dropping the handle of the barrel and moving around him. I went to open up the tent so I could drive the barrel right inside, that was if my roadblock courteously moved out of the way for me.

"Rose." He responded. It was one word, but I heard the tone in his voice. He often used it while we had been back at St. Vladimir's. Back then he had been my mentor. Now we were equals. I turned back around to face him, keeping my slight irritation off of my face.

"I've got to keep you on your toes, Comrade." I sighed, finally deciding to elaborate. "Life might get too boring if I chose to fill you in on my plans all the time instead of keeping you guessing, at least on the little stuff. Rest assured, you will be filled in upon major scheming." I finished, a smile spreading across my face. He couldn't help but mirror my smile. He definitely looked extremely more attractive when he was smiling; I was happy that it was something that I could bring out in him.

"Oh Roza." He moaned. It wasn't a moan of pleasure, but of affection. "What am I going to do with you?" He asked in the same tone. It was definitely affectionate.

"I have several ideas," I said suggestively, leaning in towards his toned body. His eyebrows rose as he pulled me in closer to him. I didn't mind public displays of affection, but no one was around to notice at the moment anyways. He leaned down as if to kiss me, yet I had other plans in mind. I playfully kissed and nipped at his neck before reaching on my tip toes in order to seductively suck his earlobe into my mouth. I heard a sharp intake of air from beside me, it was my darling Dimitri.

"What might those be?" He pleaded. I could feel his body burning, yearning for me. He held me closer, plastering his body on mine. I continued sucking on the lobe of his ear, which was having quite the effect on him.

"For now-" I started in a completely sensuous voice. It would have been my phone sex hotline voice if I had ever been in such a business. "You could step out of my way." I continued, my voice back to normal as I slipped out of his arms, pretending none of this had every happened. It took him a moment to realize what was happening, and by that time I had made it back to my barrel. He looked at me, exasperated. He managed to compose himself, turned 180 degrees on his heel and disappeared into our tent. I couldn't help but smile at the man who had single-handedly stolen my heart. I had certainly grown fond of teasing the poor man.

I picked up the handle to my barrel and wheeled it inside of the tent. I immediately stopped and closed the tent opening, not wanting any flying insects to enter our dwelling. Sure, I had killed countless Strigoi. They were fierce, bloodthirsty, murderous fiends. I wasn't exactly scared of them, yet insects in my personal sanctuary really weirded me out. I was dead set on avoiding such a fate if I could.

 **~~Beginning of Lemony Goodness~~**

That's when I felt Dimitri embrace me from behind. I realized, too late, that it wasn't actually an embrace. He had grabbed me and thrown me into the air. Landing on the air mattress, I was glad that Dimitri was good at hitting his target. I didn't really want to get thrown against the ground, or even the metal bedframe. Seconds later, Dimitri was physically on top of me, pushing me deeper into the silken sheets covering the air mattress. His hands were on my wrists, his legs pinning mine beneath him. I bucked my hips up, attempting to move him to no avail. The most I had managed to accomplish was grinding my crotch against him. Laying on this virtual cloud didn't give me much thrusting power either. I finally looked up at him. His eyes were dark twin pools of lust. His hair hung in a curtain around his face. His aftershave washed over me like a wave, my body instinctively reacting to it.

"Think you can just tease me all the time with no repercussions?" He growled. It was a sexy, animalistic sound that caused my body to burn for him.

"You know you love it." I managed to pant. His physical location in relation to mine was driving me crazy. I had also learned that being tossed in the air unexpectedly by your lover could be strangely erotic. Of course, being pinned down to our shared bed only added as an additional aphrodisiac.

"I'm not the only one." He growled again. He pushed his erection, which was concealed unsuccessfully beneath his pants, hard against the apex of my womanhood. I couldn't help but moan in response. His turgid hard-on had brushed against my clit, teasing me and causing me to remember how amazing it would feel should he continue. Suddenly, it had felt like forever since I had been with my Russian Adonis that way. Although in reality, it had only been days, my body burned for him as if it had been months since the last time I had felt him complete me.

His lips crashed against mine, his passionate kiss washing over me in waves. I felt like I was being pulled under by a riptide, the heat from his passion warming my whole body. I wrapped my fingers in his hair as his mouth moved from my lips, trailing down my neck. His hair felt like silk betwixt my fingers. He had long since moved his hands to my body, freeing my own to grope him. His hands fervently caressed my figure. His body was tense, portraying an eager atmosphere. His fingers fumbled with the button and zipper on my jeans. His mind and needs were working faster than his fingers could follow. He was full of a tangible rampaging passion that plowed right through me. It seized me and overtook my own emotions. I was but a moth to a flame, drawn into him as if he were my only hope for survival.

Our passions were mixing, and I felt as if we could light our tent aflame if we hadn't already. There was a sudden urgency gripping the air. It was provocative by nature, causing my nipples to harden in almost a painful way. It was painfully sweet. I had no idea why our lust suddenly felt so vital, but it felt amazingly sweet to be so carnally desired and needed.

His lips were luscious and supple. His hands had snaked their way under my shirt as he pulled down my bra to access the treasure they hid. He growled as he felt my erect buds atop my bountiful breasts. His mouth was nipping at my neck lightly, feeling good without leaving visible marks. I could feel his desire hardening through his pants, just feeling it was making me heady.

With an unspoken cue, it seemed to be a competition who could shed their clothes the fastest. Although I was at a disadvantage, being pushed hard against the bed, I managed to keep up with Russian sex idol on top of me. Seriously, his body deserved to be worshiped.

Now that clothes were no longer an obstruction, I could feel his turgid erection against my thigh. The direct contact made a shiver of excitement radiate throughout my body. Our lips found each other once again as if magnetized. His tongue, soft against my lips, begged for entrance into my mouth. I didn't even hesitate to acquiesce. The kiss was deep, feeling as if we were exploring each others soul. I couldn't deny it, Dimitri could touch me in ways that no other man could.

His right hand slowly caressed its' way down my body, leaving me trembling in its' wake. His touch was feathery light and delicate, almost tickling. My nerve endings were alight with desire, making my body that much more sensitive. His fingers finally reached my core, gently caressing the outer lips. He was teasing me, but I couldn't protest too much with his tongue inhabiting my mouth.

Slowly, he slipped a finger inside of me. I couldn't help but break the kiss and moan softly. He murmured something in Russian as he looked down at me, his eyes dark orbs of desire. He used his finger to explore my most intimate parts, gazing at me lustily as he watched my responses. He growled primally when he saw my reaction to him sliding a second finger into my slippery folds. When his thumb brushed against my clit, I couldn't help but latch on to my Russian. My body was squirming under his ministrations. I couldn't help but gently kiss and nip at the sensitive spot between his neck and shoulder. I heard him moan, causing me to continue. There was no way I could sit back and do nothing as my Russian Adonis pleasured me.

I placed my hand on his taut pectorals, slowly tracing my fingers towards. My fingers danced across those firm abs. They slipped across his well-defined V and slowly wrapped around his engorged manhood. He groaned as he forced himself to remain still. I swear, the noises he makes are the sexiest sounds in the world. I slowly moved my hand up and down his erection, teasing him as he was teasing me. Of course, I may not have been playing fair when I bit back down on that sensitive spot on his neck. His hips bucked forward as he moaned rather loudly. Score 1 for Rose Hathaway.

"Roza." He murmured, his accent thick and full of the passion coursing through his body. I continued kissing the same spot on his neck, sucking it gently, teasingly.

"Roza." He moaned again. I could feel his resolve crashing down around him. He wouldn't be able to keep himself away from me much longer. My body flushed with excitement and I sucked at his neck hungrily. He was definitely going to have a mark there later.

"Do you want me, Milaya?" He huskily whispered. I knew every single one of my non-verbal communications cues were screaming the answer, but I realized that he needed to hear me say it.

"I need you, Comrade." I panted, verbalizing my desire inarticulately. He closed his eyes, and I could feel his muscles clenching as he heard my words. There was a certain tension in the room we had both been enveloped it. That power increased ten-fold upon the recognition in those words.

I could tell he couldn't hold himself back any longer, not that I wanted him to. He had always mastered his control better than I could. He adeptly lowered himself between my open legs, lining his manhood up with my core. Unable to control himself a moment longer, he fully entered me in one swift motion.

I cried out in pleasure as I was suddenly full of him, my apex stretched by his large member. He had buried himself in me fully. It felt blissful and like the most natural thing in the entire world. There was literally nothing between us anymore, not even air. We were one like we were always meant to be.

He suddenly pulled all the way back out of me. I almost gasped at the emptiness suddenly consuming me. No. I needed him in me again. I needed to be full of him. I needed to be one with my Russian God again. Without me having to voice my woes, he thrust himself back in me again in one swift motion. The blissful feeling returned as I moaned out my appreciation. He voiced a similar appreciative moan. Hearing him, my eyes fluttered back up to him. Our eyes connected making what felt like an unbreakable connection. I couldn't look away. It's almost as if I fell into those blackened twin pools of lust. His eyes captured mine. As always, those eyes were able to communicate so much to me. Our mouths were unable to do anything but moan and scream out the pleasure our bodies were feeling as he continued to thrust his manhood into my awaiting soaked core. Our eyes were able to say everything else to each other. It was a bond so intimate and intense, it was virtually unimaginable.

My arms and legs were wrapped tightly around him long before I realized it actually happened. I was running on pure instinct. His turgid member was thrusting into me with abandon, hitting a button over and over again that shut down almost all conscious thoughts. I could only feel. Well, see and feel him. I clung to him, one hand wrapped in his hair as my body was lost to the physical pleasures he was causing me to experience, my mind lost somewhere deep inside his dark brown eyes. Some part of me knew my mouth was moaning and possibly saying things that I didn't even register me saying. It came out naturally, instinctually.

Our lips were mere inches apart as his eyes bore into mine. His manhood was hammering into my body over and over with increasing speed and force. I felt my entire body tensing. Part of me recognized that I was getting closer to the grand finale. I was also moaning louder than before. My mind barely recognized the words that came out of Dimitri's mouth.

"That's it, Roza, give it to me." He panted, his accent so thick his English was barely recognizable. I couldn't help but clench around him at how turned on that made me. Fuck, he was going to push me over the edge. He groaned in pleasure, thrusting harder. A string of words left his mouth that I could only hope was Russian since I was unable to recognize them. I really hoped my mind wasn't that far gone to not be able to recognize my own language, not that it was really something I could concern myself with at the moment. Somewhere amidst him thrusting inside of me, I could feel his member throbbing, begging for release. Somehow during this overload of pleasure, I was able to recognize that he was holding himself back. He wouldn't climax without me. Honestly, I was surprised my body hadn't exploded yet. My whole body was a bundle of nerves, all of which were set on fire.

My nails dug into his back and Dimitri hissed in pleasure. I could hear him murmuring to me with that deep melodious voice of his, even deeper due to the desire running rampant throughout him. My own pleasure haze clouded my mind further. All I could focus on was his thick, rigid erection jackhammering inside of me and those eyes that held me captivated. He stopped for only a moment to throw my legs over his shoulders before continuing his carnal assault on my throbbing core. He hit what felt like a whole new area. Within a few thrusts, I was screaming, my body tensing. I felt like a rubber band being stretched beyond what its elasticity could handle. I knew any moment I would pop.

I tried to warn Dimitri of my impending orgasm, but my mind couldn't seem to control what my mouth was saying. I had no idea what actually came out of my mouth, except that I sounded desperate. Dimitri's eyes bore into me like he was feeding off my soul. Never had it felt this intimate. My whole being was on display for him. There was nothing I could hide from the soul that matched my own.

All of a sudden, my body exploded in pleasure. My eyes rolled back into my head as stars danced in my vision. My body tensed and then shook violently as I rolled out my high. Somewhere amidst my own pleasurable epiphany, I realized that my volcanic orgasm triggered a rather intense reaction from Dimitri as well. I could feel his rigid body pulsating as he flooded my most sacred of areas with his own celebratory fluids. I could hear him vocalizing his euphoria in his mother tongue, heaven to my ears. We rode out our intense passions together before our lips found each other again. We were each panting heavily, kissing each other in a way that expressed our awed emotions. He gently let my legs slide down his shoulders until my legs were once again wrapped around his waist.

 **~~Conclusion of Lemony Goodness~~**

We remained intertwined for a while as we expressed our emotions through our eyes and tender kisses. Sometimes words can't do justice to a situation. This was one of those times. I couldn't even begin to comprehend how to turn these volatile emotions into word form. A wealth of sensations was bubbling from me, most of which were idyllic. We kissed for a bit longer before the silence was finally broken.

"I swear, you're a goddess, Rose. Maybe you're a descendant of Venus. No, you're a reincarnation of Aphrodite herself. You're the guardian angel of my soul." He babbled in a husky voice, unable to fully express himself. I couldn't help but chuckle in response. This was the Dimitri that only I got to see. His walls were fully down; he was vulnerable only to me.

"Yeah, well, this goddess, angel or whatever has a date with the mere mortal of Angeline." I reminded, playing off his comments in true Rose Hathaway form. He chuckled as well, a tone that rumbled in his chest. It was one of my favorite sounds.

"You could always blow her off." He teased, running his fingertips down my arm. It caused me to shudder in delight. The control this man had over my body was uncanny. If Dhampirs had the ability to control magic, I would have sworn that he was using some sort of voodoo on me.

"Yeah, but I basically gave her permission to come hunt me down in our tent if I didn't show." I countered. "Plus, there's no way Rose Hathaway could even chance appearing cowardice. That's not the reputation I want among these people." I finished. Dimitri rolled his eyes at me, obviously picking up one of my bad habits.

"Well, we wouldn't want to damage your reputation, beloved." He said, a smile gracing those gorgeous lips. He slowly disembarked himself from my own body, leaving me feeling like I had lost some intricate part of myself. I watched him for a moment as he started the hunt for his clothes. I had no idea where any of our articles of clothing ended up being flung. I finally climbed out of bed myself, only to realize there were fluids leaking down my thigh. Suddenly I was glad that I had brought water up from the stream. At least it would clean me up a little.

"Hey Comrade, find me a rag or something. Your DNA is running down my leg." I said jokingly. Dimitri flushed. I was elated to bring about this response from him. Embarrassing Dimitri was one of my favorite pastimes; it never got old. I properly stowed the barrel of water before opening it up, while Dimitri found me a rag to clean myself up with. After wetting the small towel, I hiked one of my legs up on the bed as I started to clean up the mess that was leaking out of me.

"Damn, Dimitri. How much did you cum? More importantly, where were you storing this gallon of jizz?" I asked, purposefully using words I knew would embarrass him further. He flushed further, much to might delight. He found his own towel to wash himself up with, coming close to me in order to wet it. He strayed towards me first, though.

"I don't know how such a dirty mouth can do such wonderful things." He murmured before kissing me softly. As tender as it was, he still stole my breath away. Damn this man and his unnatural charm. He then soaked his own small towel before cleaning our combined fluids off of his manhood.

As I continued to wipe away the semen that continued leaking out of my apex and down my legs, I couldn't help but be grateful for our Dhampir genes. Even though not using condoms made a mess, we didn't have to worry about birth control. It meant no pills for me to attempt to remember to take on a daily basis and we didn't have a film of plastic separating us between our most intimate moments.

After cleaning myself up, I knew I had to find my clothes. I had to be properly dressed for my fight with Angeline later. That meant work out clothes, which I always rocked, and putting my hair up. Not only would this allow for everyone to see my molnija marks, but it also gives Angeline less of a chance to grab it during our fight. Yes. I definitely needed to wear it in a bun. I wasn't going to give her any advantage. I fully planned on not holding back with her this time. I needed to prove myself a warrior in front of the keepers. A goal I was more than ready to accomplish.

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